4 The Love of Writing

Four Directors Who Need to Make a Horror Film, Like, NOW

2012-02-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

Four Directors Who Need to Make a Horror Film, Like, NOW

Ten Ways to Know You’re Going to Die (Behind the Masque style)

2012-02-24T01:58:00.000-05:00

1. If there is hissing coming from your bathroom, it’s probably not the pipes. You could still go in, but when the shower curtains move and you hear a rattle, you’re about to receive a shot of venom from a very nasty snake that is upset you interrupted his shower.

2. When you decide to go bowling late at night and the patrons clear out to be replaced by a gang of thugs wielding knives, you’re about to become a chopping board.

3. You have settled down for a long night home alone and are sipping hot cocoa on the sofa while watching a John Wayne movie. Glass shatters in the other room. It’s probably not the neighbors stopping by for a nice chat, but you can strike up a conversation with the serial killer crawling through the broken window.

4. The cute girl you met at the party is anything but adorable. Here’s a tip: Don’t let someone you just met ever tie you up willingly.

5. If the juice you just poured starts to bubble suddenly, it’s probably not what you’re used to drinking. Pour it down the drain and see if it burns through the sink. Aren’t you glad you didn’t pour it down your pipes now?

6. Parties can be loads of fun when you can take a tour of your own and find the dark secrets hidden in the basement, but if you witness a murder down there, you probably won’t make it back up in one piece.

7. Knives are a great utensil when eating your dinner; however, if you find yourself at the end of one and it’s nicking your neck, chances are the guy holding it isn’t asking you for a date.

8. If you hear a noise outside, let it go. Never go investigate, especially alone and at night. Whatever it was will just either go away or burst down your door and open fire with an AK-47. If it’s your time, then it’s your time!

9. When your dog goes berserk, bares her teeth, and starts growling for no apparent reason, chances are very good it’s not the wind knocking at your door. Run upstairs, call the police, and then hide until they arrive. In some cities, you know they will never get there in time since response times vary. Hopefully, you checked out your city before you moved there; if not, good luck.

10. Should you decide to be brave and wander into a known killer’s estate for a confrontation and a sumo wrestler blocks your escape route, you know you’re going down. Maybe you should have had that psyche evaluation before jumping right into the villain’s nest. It could have saved you…or have you always had that death wish?

12 Simple Ways to Sell More Books

2012-02-23T15:47:00.000-05:00

12 Simple Ways to Sell More Books

Tips to Protect Yourself From Being Grabbed by a Serial Killer

2012-02-23T15:34:00.000-05:00

Since my thriller books all deal with ordinary people trying to survive the onslaught of a serial killer, I thought I would offer up my advice on how not to become the guest of said serial killer.

1. Be aware of your surroundings. Look around you. Don’t get distracted. Notice the people that are closest to you and/or the guy eyeing you from the other side of the parking lot. Hang up that cell phone. If it’s important, you can wait until you are safe inside your house before returning the call.

2. Don’t carry yourself like a victim. Look people in the eye. It doesn’t matter what color shoes they are wearing or who dropped that piece of gum on the sidewalk. Keep your eyes up. Stare people down, no matter how creepy they may look.

3. Never show fear. Laugh in the face of disaster. Spit in the eye of the person holding the knife at your throat. Stomp on their feet; scratch their hands. Don’t just sit there and freeze up. Do something…NOW!

4. Drive to safety. Notice what the other cars are doing. If the black car behind you made the same five turns as you, don’t lead him to your house. Keep driving around in circles. Drive to the nearest police station and sit outside it for awhile. Flirt with the cops if you have to and then wave to the black car as he passes by.

5. Don’t open that door to strangers. If a cop, service technician, or hot model suddenly shows up at your door, ask to see some ID – they can hold it up to the peep hole, slide it under the door, or flatten it against the window. Call someone to verify who they are, or you just may want to call up your ten girlfriends to come over and ogle the stranger. Either way, you did the right thing.

6. If you get a sudden text or email saying someone you know has been in a car accident, don’t fall for it right away. Grab the nearest phone and call him or her. If you can’t get through, call someone you trust that can verify the horrible truth. Then run, don’t walk, to the hospital!

7. Have emergency contacts on speed dial – your mom, the police, 911, the FBI. If someone suspicious approaches you, hit the speed dial and then stick the phone in your pocket. You never know when it might be the real thing. If this is just a test, ignore the above instructions and then spend the next five minutes apologizing to the operator how you accidentally butt dialed the number.

8. THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP OF ALL! If you witness a murder, call the cops right away. Do not hesitate, do not pass go, and do not collect $200. It probably won’t matter, though, because by the time they arrive, you just might have become the next victim, but at least you tried. Good luck!

The 5 Steps to Writing a Novel that Sells

2012-02-21T20:37:00.000-05:00

The 5 Steps to Writing a Novel that Sells

Why being in a horror movie can screw up your relationship

2012-02-17T02:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.cracked.com/video_18384_why-being-in-horror-movie-can-screw-up-your-relationship.html

The Honeymoon Killer Trial Begins

2012-02-15T02:24:00.001-05:00

'Honeymoon Killer' Gabe Watson Liar or Victim of 'Tragic Accident' - ABC News

Valentine's Day Flash Fiction

2012-02-14T06:00:00.010-05:00

Keith met her on Valentine’s Day and they shared a special love. She could never do any wrong. They were meant to be together for all eternity and should have been if Melissa hadn’t been in that accident.

She was with another man, driving at breakneck speed down the highway, when the 40 car pileup happened. His precious wife, the love of his life. It had been innocent, he knew that now. The man had been a co-worker, taking her to Atlanta for a convention.

Keith would always have her heart – in a jar on his desk.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Adult Swim: An Intro to Cthulhu

2012-02-13T14:17:00.000-05:00

http://www.adultswim.com/blog/galleries/an-intro-to-cthulhu.html?utm_source=scribol.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=scribol.com

Take a few cautious, baby steps beyond the edge of madness as we teach you the basics of H.P. Lovecraft and Cthulhu. Also, marvel at some incredible Lovecraft-inspired art from the 'Dead and Dreaming' art show in Philly.

Your Brain Stays Active After You Get Decapitated

2012-02-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

At one time in history, decapitation was one of the preferred methods of execution, in part thanks to the guillotine. Although many countries that execute criminals have dispatched with the method, it's still performed by certain governments, terrorists and others. There's nothing more final than the severing of one's head. The guillotine came about because of the desire for a quick, relatively humane death. But how quick is it? If your head were cut off, would you still be able to see or otherwise move it, even for just a few seconds?

This concept perhaps first appeared during the French Revolution, the very time period in which the guillotine was created. On July 17, 1793, a woman named Charlotte Corday was executed by guillotine for the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, a radical journalist, politician and revolutionary. Marat was well-liked for his ideas and the mob awaiting the guillotine was eager to see Corday pay. After the blade dropped and Corday's head fell, one of the executioner's assistants picked it up and slapped its cheek. According to witnesses, Corday's eyes turned to look at the man and her face changed to an expression of indignation. Following this incident, people executed by guillotine during the Revolution were asked to blink afterward, and witnesses claim that the blinking occurred for up to 30 seconds.

Another often-told tale of demonstrated consciousness following beheading dates to 1905. French physician Dr. Gabriel Beaurieux witnessed the beheading of a man named Languille. He wrote that immediately afterward, "the eyelids and lips ... worked in irregularly rhythmic contractions for about five or six seconds." Dr. Beaurieux called out his name and said that Languille's eyelids "slowly lifted up, without any spasmodic contraction" and that "his pupils focused themselves" [source: Kershaw]. This happened a second time, but the third time Beaurieux spoke, he got no response.

These stories seem to give credence to the idea that it's possible for someone to remain conscious, even for just a few seconds, after being beheaded. However, most modern physicians believe that the reactions described above are actually reflexive twitching of muscles, rather than conscious, deliberate movement. Cut off from the heart (and therefore, from oxygen), the brain immediately goes into a coma and begins to die. According to Dr. Harold Hillman, consciousness is "probably lost within 2-3 seconds, due to a rapid fall of intracranial perfusion of blood" [source: New Scientist].

So while it's not entirely impossible for someone to still be conscious after being decapitated, it's not likely. Hillman also goes on to point out that the so-called painless guillotine is likely anything but. He states that "death occurs due to separation of the brain and spinal cord, after transection of the surrounding tissues. This must cause acute and possibly severe pain." This is one of the reasons why the guillotine, and beheading in general, is no longer an accepted method of execution in many countries with capital punishment.
If your head stays on your shoulders, though, it can still be damaged beyond repair.

Freeman, Shanna. "Top 10 Myths About the Brain" 17 September 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/10-brain-myths.htm> 13 February 2012.

We Live, a Poem by Jason Greiner

2012-02-08T14:14:00.000-05:00

We Live

by Jason Greiner

We live within routine

Straying only when by force

Then reluctantly we walk

On paths fresh and new

But let one split second tear

And rip at our souls

To open our closed eyes

To an illuminating new truth

Death is death

And blood is blood

Which both in time will come

Taking hold of all

So before life fades

We mustn't hesitate

To truly come to live

To see, to laugh, to love

Before our frailty does show through

Jason Greiner is an American poet from Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of two poetry books, "Wishing Wells: The Poetry of Love, Emotion and the World We Alive In" (2006) and "Shadows and Shade: A Collection of Poetry and Images" (2009) from which this work is taken.

"Shadows and Shade" link - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-and-shade-jason-greiner/1017220870?ean=9781440152153&itm=1&usri=jason+greiner

Norway mass killer Breivik demands military award

2012-02-06T15:35:00.000-05:00

Norway mass killer Breivik demands military award

OSLO — The Norway gunman who killed 77 people in twin attacks in July asked an Oslo court Monday to immediately free him and demanded the country's highest military award, sparking derision from survivors.

Showing no sign of remorse, 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik said the massacre was "a preventive attack against state traitors" who were guilty "ethnic cleansing" due to their support for a multi-cultural society.

"I do not accept imprisonment. I demand to be immediately released," the rightwing extremist told the court before it ordered that he be held in detention until his trial opens on April 16.

Hollow laughter erupted in the rows where several dozen survivors and families of the victims were seated, when Behring Breivik twice demanded his immediate release.

Wearing a dark suit and pale blue tie, Behring Breivik entered the courtroom and touched his heart with his handcuffed fists, then lifted them straight out toward those seated in the courtroom, in what his lawyer Geir Lippestad described as a "right-wing extremist salute."

"He wanted to show the far right that he is one of them," Lippestad said.

With his blond hair parted on the side and a thin strip of beard along the jawline, Behring Breivik refused to plead guilty but admitted to committing the acts he said were necessary to "defend the ethnic Norwegian population."

"We, the Norwegian resistance movement, will not just stand by and watch while we are made a minority in our own country," he said, adding that he had acted "to defend his people, his culture, his religion."

He also asked to be decorated with a bravery medal, saying: "I want the Norwegian army to recommend me for a War Cross with three swords."

Behring Breivik, who has claimed to be on a crusade against multi-culturalism and the "Muslim invasion" of Europe, set off a car bomb outside government buildings in Oslo on July 22, killing eight people.

He then went to Utoeya island, some 40 kilometres northwest of Oslo, and, dressed as a police officer, spent more than an hour methodically shooting and killing another 69 people, mainly teens, attending a summer camp hosted by the ruling Labour Party's youth wing.

The massacre was the deadliest committed in Norway since World War II.

During Monday's hearing, Behring Breivik turned around to face the media several times, a smile on his lips.

He reiterated his belief that the court was not a competent authority to try him, accusing judge Wenche Fliflet Gjelsten of being "appointed by those who support multi-culturalism."

"The Labour Party traitors of the nation use asylum, family regroupments, asylum on humanitarian grounds and immigration quotas as tools for Islamic colonialisation," Behring Breivik told the court.

"It's good to see him like that, surrounded by police officers, just a dozen metres away from me," said Magnus Haakonsen, a young Utoeya survivor who fled the shooting spree by dashing into the water and swimming away.

"The first time I saw him on Utoeya, he was also a dozen metres away but he was pointing a gun, at me. Now, in a way, the weapons are pointed at him, the weapons of justice," he said.

According to the 18-year-old, who escaped two of Behring Breivik's bullets, "a good way to disarm his arguments is to laugh at him."

"He has a completely demented vision of things," chimed in another survivor, Joergen Bunk, who turns 18 soon.

"I understand that he wants to be released, seeing that he thinks he's a hero. For us, it's obviously completely crazy," Bunk added.

A first psychiatric evaluation conducted last year found that Behring Breivik was criminally insane. A second opinion is expected by April 10, and if it confirms the first diagnosis he will likely be sentenced to psychiatric care in a closed ward instead of prison.

It will ultimately be up to the Oslo district court to decide whether he is sane and to determine his sentence.

© Copyright (c) AFP

Writing Assignment: What Would You Do?

2012-02-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

If you have ever watched the show What Would You Do? then this should be a fun and easy exercise.

You are at a local dine-in restaurant, nothing fancy, maybe a Big Boy, Denny's, Friendly's, or just a simple Coney Island. The lunch crowd hasn't arrived yet so there are just a few people seated. A lady is sitting a few booths away. She has a young child with her, probably around five or six. While the woman is chatting away on her cell phone, her kid is running up and down the aisle, almost knocking the waitress over several times. The mother never once looks up or comes to collect her child, who is singing in a loud voice now as he/she marches past the other diners. Do you take action, sit idly by and fume as the child's obnoxious behavior gets on your nerves, or slap some money down on the table and get up and walk out?

What would you do?

My Scars, a Poem by Jason Greiner

2012-01-30T11:34:00.000-05:00

My Scars
by Jason Greiner

My scars are on the inside
You cannot feel them on my arms
You cannot see them on my face
Nor can you touch them on my chest
Or anyplace else you may caress

Buried beneath my veins
They're ingrained within my bones
And have hardened over time
But can never really heal

Despite all of this
I'd never give them up
Never wish them gone or never bone
For they are me
And I, molded by them

Jason Greiner is an American poet form Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of two poetry books, "Wishing Wells: The Poetry of Love, Emotion and the World We Alive In" (2006) and "Shadows and Shade: A Collection of Poetry and Images" (2009) from which this work is taken.

"Shadows and Shade" link - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-and-shade-jason-greiner/1017220870?ean=9781440152153&itm=1&usri=jason+greiner

Connecticut killer sentenced to die for "unimaginable horror"

2012-01-27T15:04:00.002-05:00

Connecticut killer sentenced to die for "unimaginable horror"

Book Signing

2012-01-26T15:24:00.000-05:00

I was contacted by a book store in Frankenmuth a couple of weeks and personally invited to a book signing there. Wow, is that cool or what? :-)

I'll be at Charlin's Book Nook in River Place, Frankenmuth, on Saturday, February 11, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Please share with your friends or family.

4D33Y9EVXZ4U

When Angels Sing

2012-01-23T22:21:00.000-05:00

Blaze was the perfect man: sweet, charming, and 100% gentleman. There was only one catch. Jenna Michaels had never met him face to face. He was her Internet chat buddy. So when he invites her out to visit him, she jumps at the chance. But he's not anything like she expected, and even worse, he has no recollection of ever talking to her. She doesn't give up though and decides to find out who the person was behind the Internet buddy. She soon realizes she should have turned tail and ran home because her two weeks in Montana are about to be turned into a cat and mouse game as she is stalked through the streets of Stevensville by a psychotic killer.

This book was published on November 13, 2010 by createspace and is available at amazon.com in paperback format for $14.99 or kindle for just $0.99.

Buy the paperback edition at:

http://www.amazon.com/When-Angels-Sing-Shelby-Patrick/dp/1453864091/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327375121&sr=8-1

Or the kindle version:

http://www.amazon.com/When-Angels-Sing-ebook/dp/B006XNI9HY/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1327375121&sr=8-1

The Fear Within

2012-01-20T19:40:00.001-05:00

What are you afraid of? This collection of 25 dark tales touches on the fear within, from monsters behind the door and aliens from other worlds to killers in the mirror and ghosts that haunt us to our graves. Find these and many more inside this short story collection by author Shelby Patrick.

This book was published on June 5, 2010 via createspace and is available at amazon.com in paperback format for $13.99 or kindle for just $0.99.

Buy the paperback edition at:
http://www.amazon.com/Fear-Within-Shelby-Patrick/dp/1452815356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327106022&sr=8-1

Or the kindle version:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Fear-Within-ebook/dp/B004I1L0T2/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1327106022&sr=8-1

I Want to Get Paid!

2012-01-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

Life sucks, let's face it. We live in a world where greed is the norm and it's a rare person that helps out from the goodness of their heart. Everyone wants to get paid these days. The world revolves around money and if you don't have it, you're nothing but a bum.

I'd like to be rich, be a billionaire, but I'm stuck in a low-income job while I pound away at my keyboard writing fiction. I'm like a good portion of Americans today -- in tons of debt that will most likely take me the rest of my life to pay off, but yet, I still do things to be nice. Sure, it's nice to get paid, but I understand if people don't have the money.

I babysat for my neighbor and refused to take any money for it because that's what a good neighbor would do. I subbed for my niece at work and refused to take any money for it because that's what family is all about. I critique manuscripts and offer helpful suggestions to improve them and I never ask for compensation. But yet when I ask for help, I'm ragged on because I can't afford to pay for it?

Sure, it would be nice to afford $1,000s for an editor per manuscript. Where would I get that kind of money? Okay, I'd love to be able to spend $1,000s to advertise and promote my books or services. I can't afford that. I wish I had the money for a make-over. I wish I had the money to join a gym and hire a personal trainer. I wish I had the money to take a vacation once in awhile. But the fact is, I can count myself among those starving writers. How do other people do it?

It cracks me up when people say something only costs $299. That's a lot of money to someone who doesn't have it. Sheesh, $100 is a lot of money to me. I pay on the low-end right now for a great editor and wish I could pay more, but it takes me months to scrape together the money to pay him.

I posted an ad looking for someone to critique my manuscript. I got a few nice people responding; unfortunately, in the ad I stated it was a non-paying gig. Someone emailed me and said professionals pay professionals for a service like this and the person I find will most likely be worth every penny I didn't pay. Hmm, hundreds of people belong to critique groups and they don't pay their critiquers. So none of them are professionals?

I remember being on a writer's email list awhile back. Now, when a lot of writers first start out, sometimes they post articles for free or do things for credit. Most of the list was appalled at that. They stated that you can't call yourself a writer if you don't get paid for it. Know what I say? If you write, you're a writer. We should write because we enjoy it, not just to get paid. If you do it just for the money, why not get a different job? *sigh*

What's the world come to when it's all about the money?

I still like to help if needed and don't require anything more than a thank you. If you need help with your writing or just want another pair of eyes to take a look at something you have written, don't hestitate to contact me. Asking for help isn't a crime and it shouldn't come with strings.

Good luck!

Buzz Your Book -- Easy Marketing Ideas for Books

2011-10-25T17:17:00.000-04:00

I spent a week in New York City recently attending ThrillerFest 2011. While there, I went to several workshops and my favorite was on “Buzzing Your Book”. The presenters were very professional and full of knowledge. After providing an introduction, they asked for volunteers to stand up and tell everyone what their book was about in one sentence, then the presenter was asked a few questions, and afterward the workshop instructors brainstormed FREE ideas to market their book. I’d like to share a few with you here now.M.J. Rose, one of the instructors, told us of how she got a new puppy and started frequenting an online forum for the breed of dog she had. At the end of every post, she would put in a simple tag line (M.J. Rose, author of Lip Service). She posted a lot and after about six months time, someone on the board finally asked her what Lip Service was. When she responded, 400 books were sold overnight. Wow! That would be nice, wouldn’t it? Posting to forums is a tried and true method of getting the word out; however, don’t go in there with the intent to advertise straight out. Do it subtly, in a small signature line.

Another idea, as pertains to fiction, is to create short stories centered around each of your characters. People will get more involved with the overall book if other stories use those characters. Popular books and movies do it all the time with their fan fiction. Readers love to see their favorite characters in other settings outside the original one.

Once you have tried that, or even if you prefer not to, then let’s move on. Try picking five things from your book that catch your eye. For example, in my upcoming novel Behind the Masque, I might choose the following: University of Michigan, The Whitney Restaurant, Society of Former Special Agents of the F.B.I., Alcoholics Anonymous, art history majors. Then do a search online using those terms. Find places, organizations, forums, etc. where interest might lie in those subjects and get involved, once again subtly advertising your book.

Books don’t get sold by themselves and most of us probably can’t afford an expensive advertising budget or to hire a PR firm, so we have to find easy and cheap ways of getting the word out ourselves. It’s not as hard as one would think. If you can write, you can come up with new and exciting ways to market yourself. Good luck!

Behind the Masque

2011-10-15T22:14:00.000-04:00

They say curiosity killed the cat; nosy reporter Angelique learns that the danger applies to her as well when she stumbles upon rich socialite Kyle Abernathy's murderous cult. She's protected by Matthew Knight, alcoholic ex-FBI agent – but will Knight's past catch up to him before he can stop the evil and powerful Abernathy?

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Masque-Shelby-Patrick/dp/1463779518/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1318731173&sr=8-4

The Face-To-Face...

2011-07-28T16:20:00.000-04:00

How do you survive meeting an agent face-to-face? Many authors strive for representation, but normally, they do it by sending their manuscripts to unknown faces; however, I recently had the opportunity at ThrillerFest in New York to actually meet several agents across a small table. Oh my God, I thought I would die, or at least faint, before the day was through. Here are some tips that might help, if you ever find yourself in that situation.

1. Relax. An agent is just another person you want to befriend so that you can share your wonderful novel with them.

2. Know your characters and novel inside out. Be ready to wow them with knowledge of your story. If you are an expert in a field related to your book, tell them. For instance, I blew it big time when I made my main female lead an art history major. One agent asked if I had experience in art history. He assumed I maybe taught art or had some sort of degree in it. I felt foolish saying I didn't know the first thing about art. The lesson here? Write what you know. If you give your character a job or hobby and you aren't an expert in it, research it fully so that you can gain some expertise in the subject.

3. This shouldn't be an interview. I went in there pretending it was like a job interview, which had me more nervous by the second. The questions they ask should all pertain to your manuscript so you better darn well know the material beforehand. Be ready to answer any questions they might have. What's the story about? How did your character(s) get to that point? Why should I want to represent this particular book? There are hundreds of novels like yours, so have a good answer why this agent should pick yours.

4. Practice, practice, practice. Spend a great deal of time perfecting your pitch and then practice it as much as possible, weeks before you ever meet face-to-face.

Good luck!

How to Write a Chapter of a Book – What Authors Need to Know

2011-07-16T22:18:00.000-04:00

How to Write a Chapter of a Book – What Authors Need to Know

Interview

2011-07-16T02:03:00.000-04:00

I'm a member of BookBuzzr/Freado and they just posted an online interview with me. Check it out at:

http://www.freado.com/users/interview/26332/shelby-patrick

Enjoy!

SP

How Narcissistic Are You?

2011-07-15T12:14:00.000-04:00

Narcissism is defined as excessive love or admiration for oneself. I took Dr. Drew's Narcissism Test at http://www.0eb.com/ and this is what I got. Go ahead and take it yourself and feel free to post your score here. Have fun!

Your score is
5

Maximum is 40. Average for Americans is 15. Highest tested celebrity is Robin Quivers, with 34.

Your score for Authority is LOW

Your score for Self-sufficiency is LOW

Your score for Superiority is LOW

Your score for Exhibitionism is LOW

Your score for Exploitativeness is LOW

Your score for Vanity is LOW

Your score for Entitlement is MEDIUM

Writer’s Digest - Science-Fiction Author John Scalzi Explains How Not to Be Boring

2011-07-13T14:40:00.000-04:00

Writer’s Digest - Science-Fiction Author John Scalzi Explains How Not to Be Boring

Ranting

2011-06-29T18:05:00.000-04:00

Okay, our first amendment provides for the FREEDOM OF SPEECH! Folks get offended way too much. I'm tired of hearing celebrities voice their opinion and then have to apologize because some idiots took offense. Get a life, people! Not everyone will be for your beliefs. We all have our own thoughts and voices. Speak out, good folks.

Well, guess what? I get highly offended hearing people use the big "F" word, but is anyone apologizing to me? I'd like an apology from Hollywood for allowing such language to be on the big screen. I'd like those morons who use that sort of language in public to stop doing it. I work with a woman who constantly uses that word and it angers me so much. One of these days, I just might hit her. Apologies? Well, I'm still waiting...

Twitter Buzz by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

2011-06-14T15:57:00.014-04:00

Buzz About Twitter

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers
(Retailers are writers--think of all that blogging and advertising copy!
Writers are retailers--think of all those books we must sell!)

We think of spring as a time when tweeting is in the air. These days it's a year-round occurrence. Last I checked there were some 70,000 apps for Twitter. But I believe in making it easy. So let's cut some of the background chirping and go straight for Twitter essentials. Here are some tips from my Sharing with Writers newsletter (Subscribe using the sign-up form at the top of the column on the right.). There are enough tips here to get newbies started and give old-timers some new ideas.

Note: The stars denote an application or tips that I consider essential or use all the time.
Sign up (easily) at www.twitter.com.

Twitter Tip: To find appropriate people to follow on Twitter account, use http://search.twitter.com. It's as important to use Twitter to learn new things as well as to get your message out so try to be inclusive in who you follow.

Twitter Tip: Wow! Here's a way to make your tweets do double duty, encourage you to keep your tweets focused, and refresh your e-mail signature as often as you tweet. Use Wise Stamp Signature (http://www.wisestamp.com/email-ie ) to automatically feed your latest tweet into your latest e-mail signature.

Twitter Tip: Evaluate how you're doing on Twitter and how others are doing but do be careful 'cause stats can be misinterpreted. Try www.twittercounter.com .

Twitter Tip: Here's a great new Twitter aid. It will help you personalize your Twitter backgrounds or wallpaper: www.freetwitterdesigner.com

Twitter Tip: You can clean out your nonfollowers from your Twitter account with www.mycleenr.com --but only if you have 700 or fewer. They're working on more. My current favorite for unfollowing is www.justunfollow.com because it's easy to use—i. e., frugal of time.

*Emergency Tip: One of the major drawbacks to social networks like Facebook and Twitter is that your account can be suspended. After all that work building them! And sometimes through no fault of you own. Here's an article on what to do if it happens to your Twitter account: www.susangilbert.com/your-account-has-been-suspended/

Tweet Tip: Regarding HashTags at http://www.hashtags.org:Did you know that by using the # (hashtag) sign before a word, you can tag your tweets? This site tracks the most popular hashtags. As an example, I use a hashtag #Tweeps4Writers which indicates that the tweeter I'm recommending is a resource for writers. If you look that hashtag up right now, you'll find many authors, book marketers, and even some agents I've recommended in the past.

*Twitter Tip: -Put your shortened link in your tweet first so that when the tweet gets retweeted, part of the link doesn't get lost.

Tweet Help from author and marketing guru Tony Eldridge: Create an AddThis Button (Social Bookmarking) to your website or blog This one is fun because it's an easy-to-follow video! http://MarketingTipsForAuthors.com/ArchivedTips/3169/tipaddthis.html

Tweet Help: Here's another video from Tony Eldridge on TweetLater and other Tweet Scheduling Tools. http://MarketingTipsForAuthors.com/ArchivedTips/5189/TwitterScheduleTweetVideo/tipsscheduletweets.html

Twitter Tip: To find out who's following you, go to: http://dossy.org/twitter/karma/

Twitter Tip: Take a poll on Twitter: http://twtpoll.com/new.php

Fun Only Twitter Tip: Have you seen this fun Twitter application? http://sxoop.com/twitter/ Wahhhh, I want a computer mat with my followers' faces on it!

*Twitter Tip: You can assure your tweets get more attention if you research the recent trends on

Twitter at www.twopular.com, then design a tweet or two accordingly and use hashmarks (#) to tag them.

Twitter Tip: Poets can treat their fans to Haiku on Twitter? It's a focused way for poets to focus and still connect with followers. Use www.makeliterature.com/twihaiku/twitter-poetry. It also provides reviews, critiques and opportunities for your work to get retweeted by others.

*Social Network Tip: Check the biography on your social network sites. They say 82% of unsuccessful twitter accounts have no bio. Even if you use Facebook, as an example, for your personal friends only, it is only a courtesy to introduce yourself. You'd do that at a party, right?

*Twitter Tip: To delete people not following you go to:http://friendorfollow.com/frugalbookpromo/following/ Why would you want to do that?

Generally you don't want to follow people who aren't interested in a two-way conversation and you certainly don't want your stats to show you following hundreds of people more than follow you!

*Twitter Tip: If you think your tweet might be worthy of a retweet, keep it to 120 characters. That leaves room for the retweeter's own @username in it. Your followers are more likely to retweet if they don't have to work too hard at it.

Twitter Tip: Learn where a tweeter lives by using real-time tweets at www.twittervision.com. It's valuable for author or retailer events confined to a specific area. Watch it for a minute to find people in your area or to find twitterpals in other places in the world.

Twitter Idea: Did you know that Twitter is increasingly being used in ways related to search engine research? If not, turn to CNN for just one evening's news and you'll get it. How can you turn this into something that will help position you as an expert?

Tweet Tip: This Twitter tip is for those trying to reach folks in other parts of the world. It's a twitter translation tool. http://www.tweettranslate.com/

Twitter Retweet Tip: One of the tricks to getting wide exposure on Twitter is to get other people to retweet your tweets. Here are two articles that will tell you how to do it: How to Get Retweeted by @GuyKawasaki: http://blogs.openforum.com/2009/02/18/how-to-get-retweeted and The Science of Retweets by Dan Zarella: http://mashable.com/2009/02/17/twitter-retweets .My favorite method is to give information that people are likely to want and need. The other is to occasionally ask to be retweeted.

*Social NetworkTip: Tell your friends and/or followers about the success someone had because of a service you offer or information in your book. An example would be, "Sharing with Writers subscriber (www.howtodoitfrugally.com) received a working computer from a fellow subscriber when she was out of work after surgery."

TIP: For a really big list of Twitter aids go to John Kremer's Twitter Tools page: www.bookmarket.com/twitter-tools.htm

Twitter Tip: Find who is mentioning you or your book's title on Twitter by going to www.tweetvolume.com. Also, www.twittterholic.com .

Twitter Tip: Add you blog to Twitter by using Twitterfeed.com.

Twitter Tip: Don't add your Tweets to Facebook using RSS feeds if you tweet frequently. Your Facebook pals may get tired of you when ten tweets a day appear on your Facebook page!

Twitter Tip: List your book in Author Directories in different categories of interest. Use these links:
http://twitr.org/
http://wefollow.com/
http://www.highspotinc.com/blog/2008/12/a-directory-of-book-trade-people-on-twitter/
(http://www.highspotinc.com/blog/2009/02/a-directory-of-authors-on-twitter/

For the last two: You can use the lists links or by tweeting Jennifer Tribe (http://twitter.com/jennifertribe) with your title and expertise.

*Twitter Tip: TweetBeep (http://tweetbeep.com )is a service that alerts you anytime your name, book title, product, or company is mentioned or Tweeted about!

Twitter Tip: Extend the reach of your Twitter efforts at www.Twellow.com Put yourself in all relevant categories. It may just be "Authors and Writers" but you may fit other places, too, depending on your area of expertise. Like "Teaching." Or, in my case, "Marketing" and "Publishing." You can categorize yourself in up to ten of them.

*Twitter Tip: Back up your Twitter account and records with www.TweetTake.com .

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson collects Twitter tips for her newsletter. She says, "people keep asking me how Twitter can help sell books and other merchandise. Maybe it can't. But it will brand you if you keep your tweets content laden and on target instead of talking about going to bed and what you ate for breakfast. Great branding leads to sales of all kinds. When I hadn't been tweeting long my Twitter Promo record included: Three blog interviews. Two podcasts. And a new friend who helped me to plan my first trip to the New York Stationery Show when I spoke there--frugally! (-: My Twitter address is www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo."

------------------------
Thanks, Carolyn for a great article and some excellent tips on using Twitter. Please visit Jennifer Gladen's blog at http://jgladen.blogspot.com on June 17th when I talk about writing great dialogue for fiction.

Zombie Attack Preparedness Info from the CDC

2011-05-20T01:33:00.000-04:00

Zombie Attack Preparedness Info from the CDC

Follow Your Dreams with Heidi M. Thomas

2011-05-16T22:52:00.000-04:00

Today we're talking with Heidi M. Thomas, who grew up on a working ranch in Montana. She describes herself as "born with ink in her veins" and went on to follow her dream of writing by receiving a Journalism Degree from the University of Montana.

Heidi’s first novel, Cowgirl Dreams, won an EPIC Award and the USA Book News Best Book Finalist award.

Follow the Dream is the second book in the “Dare to Dream” series about strong, independent Montana Women.

Cowgirl Dreams and Follow the Dream are available, autographed, at http://www.heidimthomas.com They are also available as print and e-books through her publisher, Treble Heart Books, http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/SDHeidiThomas.html Follow the Dream is also out on Kindle.

Refilling Your Well
by Heidi M. Thomas

What do you do when you feel like you are "at the end of your rope," with no more to give? Writer and artist Julia Cameron writes in The Artist's Way that each of us has a well or a reservoir of energy and creativity that we are continually drawing from in dealing with the stresses and the demands of our lives,

But if we are always taking something out, we will eventually run dry. That's where I was recently. After nine months of intense marketing (and learning about marketing as I went) my book, revising my sequel to submit to the publisher, traveling, taking care of my home, hubby, and two cats, as well as my various writing groups, I suddenly found my well dry. Even though the sun was shining (and that usually gives me lots of energy), I had no energy, no ambition, no creativity and no desire to do anything or go anywhere.

So I took an afternoon off, drove to my favorite beach park nearby and just sat by the water. I watched the seagulls fighting over tidbits, listened to the gentle lapping of the water, gazed at the white-blue cloudless sky and the glittering sea. I read a little, walked some, jotted down a few words in a notebook. I thought a little, but mostly I just "was."

The next day, I awoke with amazement--I had more energy, I could think again, and I was eager to do things again.

I've done this before, and I seem to forget to "stop and smell the roses" when I'm in my busy, frenetic rut. Nature refills my well and helps my creativity.

What do you do to refill your well?

-------------------

Thanks, Heidi, for a wonderful article. Lots of luck with your writing!

Please visit Jennifer Gladen at http://jgladen.blogspot.com on May 18th when she talks to Dallas Woodburn.

The Next Great American Novel...

2011-05-15T15:02:00.000-04:00

I have an article up at http://rjmbookreviews.blogspot.com/ today on basically what is involved in writing. The idea came to me when my dad said he could write a really good book, just like that. It just gets ridiculous sometimes hearing some non-writers think there's nothing to it when it comes to writing and that they, of course, can churn out a really good novel and get published in no time. So thought I'd point out the nitty gritty -- writing takes work and it's a skill.

Enjoy!

Facebook Fundraiser

2011-05-10T14:46:00.000-04:00

Check this out -- Get a $25 restaurant.com gift card for ONLY $10!!!!

http://apps.facebook.com/twentyfivegift/?fund_id=173392

This fundraiser is to help raise the money needed to attend ThrillerFest in New York City in July. Please help out. Thanks.

Interview

2011-05-10T13:17:00.000-04:00

I have a new interview up at:

http://tracysmorris.com/?p=1107

Enjoy!

Murder on Mother's Day

2011-04-27T01:41:00.000-04:00

Murder on Mother's Day

Meet Dallas Woodburn, Author and Editor

2011-04-18T01:39:00.000-04:00

Give Back by Paying Forward

By Dallas Woodburn

By all rights, I should not be writing this. I should not even be here at all. I was born three months prematurely, weighing a mere two pounds, six ounces. For the first few months of my life, I was in the hospital, kept alive by feeding tubes and a respirator. My harrowing entrance into the world is a daily reminder for me of the fragility of life, and to pursue my dreams with both joy and urgency – dreams are too important to "put off" till tomorrow!

I have loved to write for as long as I can remember. When I was in fifth grade, I published my first book, There's a Huge Pimple on My Nose: A Collection of Stories and Poems. It received a glowing review in the Los Angeles Times: "If you simply want to enjoy some remarkable writing, it would be hard to find a book more satisfying." My second book, 3 a.m., has also received high praise and was featured on the national book talk show "Between the Lines" on PBS. I have also published articles and essays in Family Circle, Writer's Digest, The Los Angeles Times, and eight Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

The night I was born, a doctor who was caring for me told my father, “Your daughter is a fighter.” Still today, I draw strength from those words. My mantra has become “P.A.S.T. – Preemies Are So Tough.” Whenever I feel down or discouraged, I remind myself of my past. Compared to being kept alive by a respirator and feeding tubes, nothing seems insurmountable.

Being a preemie has not only given me the resilience to overcome disappointment and the courage to pursue my dreams, it has also instilled in me the desire to give to others. I feel boundless gratitude to the doctors and nurses who saved my life. There is no way I can ever repay them. What I can do, however, is “pay forward” in their honor by doing good works and striving to better the lives of others.

In 2001, I created "Write On! For Literacy" to encourage kids to discover confidence, joy, a means of self-expression and connection through reading and writing. I hold writing contests, teach writing camps, and created a website www.writeonbooks.org that features book reviews, author interviews, and more. In the past eight years, my Holiday Book Drive has collected and distributed nearly 12,000 new books to underprivileged children for Christmas. My latest endeavor is starting a publishing company, Write On! Books, that publishes anthologies of stories, poems and essays by young writers for young readers. The first Write On! anthology, Dancing With The Pen, features the work of more than sixty young writers from all across the United States and even abroad, and was released this past February to rave reviews.

Every year on my birthday, I visit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the local hospital. I introduce myself to the worried parents of the sickly preemies and tell them how I was once a tiny baby in an incubator myself. You would never know it now. I am five-foot-ten, an honors student, and ran track and cross-country in high school. The parents tell me I give them hope. Visiting the NICU is my most treasured birthday tradition. It reminds me how incredibly blessed I am to be alive and healthy today.

All of us have gone through difficulties in our lives. All of us are indebted to people who have given us so much that there is no way we can ever repay them. Instead of trying to pay back, I urge you to focus on paying forward. Volunteering to help others in honor of someone who has helped you in an extremely rewarding and fulfilling way to live your life.

Bio: Dallas Woodburn, 23, is the author of two collections of short stories and editor of Dancing With The Pen: A Collection of Today’s Best Youth Writing. A 2009 graduate of the University of Southern California, she is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in Fiction Writing at Purdue University, where she serves as Assistant Fiction Editor of Sycamore Review. For her volunteer work, Dallas has been nationally honored with a Congressional Award Gold Medal, a Jackie Kennedy Onassis/Jefferson Award, and most recently a “Best of You” Award from Glamour Magazine. Connect with Dallas at http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com/ and http://www.writeonbooks.org.

Fundraising online: NYC ThrillerFest Trip

2011-04-05T15:45:00.000-04:00

Fundraising online: NYC ThrillerFest Trip

Suspected Serial Killer Hits New York

2011-04-04T20:51:00.000-04:00

Long Island Serial Killer?

Event of a Lifetime

2011-04-01T15:33:00.000-04:00

Hi folks!

I would love to attend ThrillerFest in New York this year; unfortunately, it's not a cheap trip. ThrillerFest begins on a Wednesday with workshops that go on into Thursday. Thursday ends with a two-hour "pitching" event in which aspiring authors have the chance to pitch a novel to different agents. Then on Friday, the actual ThrillerFest begins. R.L. Stine, of Goosebumps fame, will be the ThrillerMaster this year. Ken Follett, New York Times bestseller, will also be in attendance.

This would be a once in a lifetime event for me. To help raise money for this trip, I am participating in two different fundraisers:

Candle Fundraiser & Desserts Fundraiser

If you are interested in helping out or know someone who might like to purchase candles, cookie dough, pumpkin rolls, cinnamon rolls, bar cookies, funnel cakes, churros, soft pretzels, or jalapeno pretzel sticks, please let me know and I'll email you a copy of our brochure.

Thank you.

This Day in History — History.com — What Happened Today in History

2011-04-01T14:49:00.000-04:00

This Day in History — History.com — What Happened Today in History

An interview with Heather Paye

2011-03-19T01:41:00.000-04:00

Question: How long have you been writing?

Answer: I've been writing for around eight years.

Question: What started you writing for publication?

Answer: After I read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (yes, I read the second one before I read the first one) I was simply touched by the story and become absolutely obessed with it. You can bet I went out and bought every book out there that had anything at all to do with it. Which was when I bought "Muggles and Magic" which had a short interview in it with J.K.Rowling. One thing she said was "Anyone can write a book" that was the sentence that changed my life.

Before then, I swear, I didn't know just anyone could write a book, I thought you had to be someone special. That was when I started out writing my first short story. I only managed to write three short stories before I decided that I wanted to write something bigger, something better - a novel. It took me four years, but I managed to write my first full length novel. During those years, I had been studying publishing, how to do it, where to go, what you need. It payed off, I'm signing a contract for my series of nine and I still have yet to get a rejection letter.

Question: Have you ever had writer's block, and if so how do you get rid of it?

Answer: I don't really think there is such a thing as writer's block. I have had a few bouts of mental laziness though.

Question: What do you recommend to aspiring authors?

Answer: Don't rush writing (Rome wasn't built in a day), study, take notes, pay extra attention to your English class, and don't underestimate the power of revision/editing. I used to think I didn't need editing, I just thank goodness I got that out of my mind before it was time for me to edit my first novel.

Question: How do you invent your characters?

Answer: This is a tough question, when I need to create a character I just make him/her up as I go along. I gather up a few ideas - visual appearance, overall aditude - and I go from there. Most of my characters completely fictional and thought up. A couple of times I have tried to model my characters out of people whom I know in real life... but they always seem to take on a style all their own.

Question: I know a few authors who keep records (almost like police records) of
height, weight, background, etc. of their characters, do you keep tabs on
your characters, and if so, what do you usually make note of?

Answer: If I'm writing a series it can be quite helpful to keep character records, and depending on the legnth and complexity of the stand-alone novel I might keep records of the characters. Most of the time, I do keep the records. I usually make note of occupation, height, hair color, eye color, age, name, rank, serial number, LOL! Everything I can think up for the characters, and then some.

Question: Some authors say that they feel as though his or her characters are real, do you feel this way, and what do you think about this?

Answer: I think if you don't feel your characters are real, you're doing something wrong. You know you've done a good think if you can daydream about your characters.

Question: Do you have anything in the works?

Answer: Certainly! Would I be an author if I didn't? I have a werewolf novel about half-way finished, it's the most adult thing I've written to date (it's still in the young adult catagory though). I'm still working on that series of nine "The Artifact Series". I'm also working on a poetry anthology for Mother's Day.

Question: What was your favorite part about writing A Gift From Above?

Answer: I loved how real it turned out. It's very realistic with the siblings fighting and everything, the characters are just really realistic and I love that.

Question: What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Answer: There are a lot of hard things about being an author, marketing and editing are definitely two of the hardest. Editing and rewriting thousands and thousands of times on the exact same work gets very daunting and is certainly mentally challenging. Marketing can be time consuming, and if you don't do the right things you won't get any results, so that's pretty harsh too.

Question: Some people say that you need to live life before you write a book, do you think that it’s experience that writes a book or imagination?

Answer: I don't think experience is required at all if you're looking to write something completely fictional, however if you want to write realistic fiction, it certainly helps. If you want to write non-fiction, I don't think you can go without it. Imagination is certianly required no matter what you choose to write.

-------------------------

Please visit Mayra Calvani tomorrow as she talks to Robert Medak:
http://www.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com

Topic Rants

2011-03-15T05:26:00.000-04:00

Pick one of the topics below and in 100 words or less, talk about it:

1. Turn signals on cars are there to signal your intent to other drivers; however, if you are driving late at night (say around 3 am), there are no other cars on the road, and you are in the right or left turn only lanes, should you still get a ticket for not using your blinker? What if you are on a side street, turning into your driveway, and there are no cars around?

2. My house keys always end up at the bottom of my purse, no matter what I do. Do you have the same problem? Is this annoying? What other items always end up at the bottom of a purse, back pack, bag, etc. for you?

3. I don't like to let people borrow things anymore because usually they either take forever to return it, it gets lost, or it ends up damaged. Do you loan things out? What would you do in this case?

4. America is supposed to be a free country, but it seems we have less and less freedom all the time. We can't go flying without going through a rigorous screening process these days, we might have to all pay for health insurance whether or not we can afford it, and everyone needs to wear a seat belt (it's the law). Now they want to tell us what we can and can't eat. What do you think?

5. Television used to be more family-oriented. Years ago, you could put on a good comedy show and the entire family could sit through it. Now, TV has changed -- a lot more sex, violence, and swearing. Is it possible to tone it down again, or will it only get worse?

C. Hope Clark: Finding a Job as a Writer

2011-03-09T16:06:00.000-05:00

C. Hope Clark: Finding a Job as a Writer: "When people unsubscribe from one of my newsletters, I ask in a block for their reason for leaving. Some state they didn't find anything that..."

Famous Authors, Books Received Multiple Rejections

2011-03-02T16:22:00.000-05:00

Famous Authors, Books Received Multiple Rejections

Pen Names

2011-02-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting post about pen names:

To Pen or Not to Pen

Enjoy!

2011-02-27T16:45:00.001-05:00

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Rejections, Rejections, and More Rejections!

2011-02-27T16:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, folks! I am curious to know how you deal with rejections. How many is too many? Should you ever give up? Do you ever have those days, after receiving so many rejections, that you say, "I must be a horrible writer if no one wants to publish me," and you just want to throw in the towel? Let me hear your thoughts on this. What's the best/worst rejection letter you ever received?

Discounted Titles

2011-02-22T19:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm trying to sell enough books to make money to attend Thrillerfest this year in New York City. If you order via Createspace, you can get $5.00 off using this code:

KRHSVT4B

When Angels Sing, supernatural thriller
https://www.createspace.com/3489412
Retail price: $14.99
Discounted Price: $9.99

The Fear Within, short horror/sci fi story collection
https://www.createspace.com/3447686
Retail Price: $13.99
Discounted Price: $8.99

Meet Fellow Writer Robert Medak

2011-02-21T13:41:00.000-05:00

Hi, folks! Robert Medak is visiting with us today. Robert is a freelance writer, editor, book reviewer, aspiring marketer, and aspiring author. He spent 37 years in Telecommunications, upon retiring he decided to follow his dream of being a writer. Robert has written or ghost written over 350 articles and 80 book reviews. Welcome, Robert.

You can visit him online at:

https://kidsandanimals.wordpress.com/

http://rjmedak.wordpress.com/

http://rjmedak.blogspot.com/

http://rjmbookreviews.blogspot.com/

He can also be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and he has created a social network for freelance writers at http://freelancewriters.spruz.com/Default.asp?

Upon visiting his blog, Robert has written a wonderful article I'd like to share with you:

Can You Make a Living as a Full-Time Writer?

This is a simple yet complex question, with an answer to match.

Unless your name is Bob Bly or someone as well known, please don’t quit your day job.

It takes time, effort, marketing, quality work, and referrals to become a go to person for writing. It isn’t going to happen overnight no matter how often some people tell you. They will probably try to sell you some course, program, or get you involved with PLR articles or books that you can rebrand to call your own. Others will try to get you involved with affiliates.

I don’t do any of that since I offer 100 percent original work and test it with Copyscape for and possible plagiarism questions. I have also signed an ethics pledge.

I have gone so far as to turn down work due to ethical concerns. I realize individuals will make their own decision, but you still have to face yourself in the mirror each morning and have to live with your modus operandi of business; for writing is a business, have no fear about that.

If you choose to enter the realm of freelance writing, you will need to price your services and believe that you are an entrepreneur, because you are.

When the economy slows down so do writing jobs. With the diminishing number of magazines and newspapers, the number of places that would normally take a chance of new writers also diminishes. Along with this, many companies are looking to outsource to other countries where labor is cheaper than the United States.

It is still possible to make a living as a writer depending on how hard you are willing to work at finding jobs.

The best way to find jobs is to start out locally. Check in with your local Chamber of Commerce, Church, and Civic Groups.

Build a website, blog, guest blog, use social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter) to let potential clients know you exist. If potential clients don’t know about you, they will not come to you. Build a portfolio of work that you can show to potential clients. Keep a CV/ Résumé up to date; some clients make ask for one.

Watch out for any signs of frustration that things are not happening according to the way you think they should when jobs do not come easy, you are not the only one trying for them.

Robert Medak

Freelance writer, editor, proofreader, book reviewer, marketer

Website: http://stormywriter.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/RJ_Medak

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Robert-Medak-Writing-More/253442777522

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmedak

** Please visit The Dark Phantom Review tomorrow, February 22, for Mayra Calvani's talk with Martha Swirzinski. **

True Crime Stories

2011-02-15T15:03:00.001-05:00

Romance that fueled Maksim Gelman's bloody rampage was in his mind, friends of Yelena Bulchenko say

Guest Post

2011-02-15T13:54:00.001-05:00

Hi All,

I have a guest posting up at The Writing Mama today. Please visit and check it out:

http://thewritingmama.blogspot.com/

Happy V Day!

2011-02-14T22:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

1. What is your ultimate "dreamy" valentines day or gift?

2. If anything could go wrong on Valentines Day, or if you had the worst V Day ever (this year or in the past), what would it be or what happened?

Freado Blog

2011-02-10T17:48:00.000-05:00

Freado Blog

To Japan from the USA

2011-02-01T02:01:00.002-05:00

Go to Google Maps and click on Get Directions. 2. Write USA as your start point. 3. Write Japan as your destination. 4. Go to the 31st point on your route and when you stop laughing, post this as your status on FB so that others can have a laugh, too!! Really funny!

Book Review: Gryphon

2011-01-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

Book Review: Gryphon

Gryphon: New and Selected Stories by Charles Baxter (Pantheon Books, $27.95, 9780307379214, January 11, 2010)

Even if you're an avid reader of literary fiction, there's at least a chance Charles Baxter is one of those writers whose quiet, underappreciated output you may have missed. With the publication of this volume of 23 stories, seven of them not previously collected, there's no longer any excuse to overlook a body of work that's noteworthy for its keen, often startling, insights into human character, and its consistent craftsmanship.

Most of Gryphon's stories are set in Michigan (especially the fictional town of Five Oaks, the locale of several of his novels) or Minnesota, the two states where Baxter has spent more than three decades teaching. But unlike other modern realists like Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff and Richard Ford, Baxter concentrates on decidedly middle-class characters--teachers, journalists, artists and less-than-prosperous professionals--whose uncertain economic status frequently is matched by evident bewilderment at the disconcerting turns their lives have taken.

There's no false drama and little to titillate or shock here. More than anything, Baxter is a candid, unsparing chronicler of fragile relationships. "Poor Devil," the portrait of a divorcing couple united for a final afternoon of cleaning in the house they're about to abandon, is a painfully observant portrait of aversion and longing in a fractured marriage. In "Surprised by Joy," Baxter traces the poorly matched paths of grief navigated by a husband and wife after the sudden death of their young child. "The Flood Show" depicts one man's enduring passion for the woman who had left him and their young son more than a decade earlier, while a conservative, churchgoing man and his "social progressive" mother grope toward a sort of reconciliation in "Fenstad's Mother."

Baxter seasons these realistic offerings with a generous helping of more unconventional tales. Perhaps the best example is the title story, in which a substitute teacher uses Tarot cards to tell the fortunes of her elementary school charges. In "The Next Building I Plan to Bomb," a "harmless" banker finds a piece of paper containing a drawing with that caption and soon senses his life unraveling. A "fat balding man with horrible yellow-green eyes," who calls himself the "Genie of the Magic Lamp," grants three wishes to a young woman who's involved with an attractive but dangerous lover in "Kiss Away." The urban desolation of modern-day Detroit takes on an apocalyptic tinge in "The Disappeared."

In one penetrating scene after another, Charles Baxter demonstrates his mastery of the nuances of character, plot and language. While there's little that's tidy about the lives depicted in this collection, taken together they offer some revealing pieces of the puzzles that are love and life.--Harvey Freedenberg

Shelf Talker: A modern master of short fiction offers a generous sample of his collected work along with seven uncollected stories.

Writing Assignment: Abuse of Power

2011-01-11T02:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I am getting tired of seeing cops go through red lights, turn on red lights when it says no turn on red, and speed without flashers or sirens on. What other abuses of power have you seen -- doesn't have to be from a police officer. Write an essay on the topic and what can be done to protect citizens from these people.

Are books becoming extinct? - News

2011-01-08T12:10:00.000-05:00

Are books becoming extinct? - News

You Never Know Who You'll Meet Online...

2011-01-04T19:01:00.001-05:00

Read the first few chapters of my new supernatural thriller, When Angels Sing, online at:

http://www.authonomy.com/books/25899/when-angels-sing/read-book/#chapter

Then buy it at amazon.com or bn.com

The Killer Inside

2011-01-03T20:12:00.003-05:00

Robert Ressler, former FBI profiler and investigator talks aobut serial killers, from the truTV.com's Crime Library:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/ressler/1.html

I'm Going Naked!

2010-12-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

Does anyone ever wonder why prices are going up everywhere around us except for our salaries? How can one afford to buy or pay for anything when we don't get raises, and in many cases, our pay is cut or we lose our jobs?

The state of the economy sucks these days. Each year, college tuition rises. Gas prices fluctuate on a daily basis (today, I saw a station that had gas for $3.19). Supplies go up all the time, especially the supplies I need for work. Even fast food restaurants have changed some of their prices.

I already owe a small fortune in debt. Like most Americans, I have a handful of credit cards. Each of those has a high balance on them, but since I was one of the unlucky ones to have my hours cut down at work and my pay when the economy took a nose dive, it's getting harder to get by without using a charge card. I just don't have the cash on hand anymore.

Lay offs and cut backs seem to be the norm these days, so I ask you, how come grocery stories, colleges, gas stations, restaurants, department stores, etc., aren't doing their part to help us poor losers who can't afford the rise in prices?

Businesses may be suffering -- boohoo, excuse me while I get out my handkerchief and wipe the tears away. The answer to their problems is to take all of our hard-earned money away and force us out of our homes. Well, I say RISE UP, good folks! Don't sit there and feel sorry for yourself. Let's do something about this economy and the rising of prices. If we don't, it could mean the end of all we know. Now that's something worth shedding a few tears for.

The Most Wonderful Time ...

2010-12-27T05:05:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought my Christmas was ruined and it was going to be a miserable time, a minute thing happened that made it all worth it. My niece and I had decided weeks ago to stop at IHOP after work on Christmas morning. It wasn't until a couple of days before Christmas that I decided even though my Christmas was going to suck, why not make someone else's day more pleasant? So we decided to leave our waitress with a hefty tip.

Unfortunately, things started off rough. We finished work around 5:30 am, but IHOP didn't open up until 6 am on Christmas morning. I still had one more present to get for Christmas. It was from my mom for my dog :-) However, 99% of the stores were closed in our area. We were heading back to IHOP and I came up with a brilliant idea. I wanted to try the Walgreens down the street. They are usually open 24 hours and have pet supplies. I hoped they would be open on Christmas morning.

To my surprise, they were open and what's even better was Channel 7 News was there reporting on last minute shoppers at one of the few stores open on that morning. The reporter asked to follow us around and then he interviewed us. We appeared on the news at 8 am that morning. Wow! That just about made my day.

But it wasn't the end to my newfound cheery disposition. We went to IHOP and did our thing. When we finished, we handed our waitress a $50 tip. There was one other waitress there. She had always waited on us before so we gave her a $30 tip. Both of them were genuinely surprised and gave us hugs. So we decided to leave $20 with the cook.

It was one of the greatest feelings in the world to bring joy to another human being and see the smiles upon their face. I guess it really is better to give than to receive.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Legend of the Christmas Spider

2010-12-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

If you’ve ever gazed at the beautiful tinsel sparkling on your Christmas Tree and wondered who came up with idea of decorating the tree in this way, wonder no longer. According to German legend, it signifies a Christmas miracle from many years ago.

The day before Christmas, as the small house in Germany underwent its Christmas Eve cleaning, the resident spiders, not wanting to be swept up with the broom, hid in the attic. When nightfall came and all were settled into bed, the spiders crept downstairs. To their amazement, in the middle of the living room was a beautifully decorated Christmas Tree. They were so excited that they ran all over the tree. They scurried up the trunk and leapt from branch to branch. Unfortunately they had left their mark. A gray spider web now covered the whole tree.

When Weihnachtsmann, also known as Father Christmas, arrived he was amused to see the tree covered in spider webs. Now he faced a dilemma. The family would be disappointed to see their beautiful tree all wrapped in the webs, but the spiders were so pleased with their handiwork that he did not have the heart to take it down. What could he do?

He thought and thought and came up with a wonderful solution. He turned all the webs into beautiful shimmering silver strands. When the family awoke on Christmas Morning they ran to the living room and saw their tree sparking and glittering in the morning sun. Their delight was unsurpassed. They had never seen such a beautiful tree. Only the mother knew that a true Christmas miracle had occurred overnight.

From that day on tinsel became a treasured ornament for trees all over the world. Those who know the legend make sure that they give thanks to the industrious spiders by hanging a beautiful silver or gold spider ornament in a prominent location on their tree.

http://www.essortment.com/all/christmaslegend_rvao.htm

Books Now Available at Other Bookstores

2010-12-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it finally happened. I just went to bn.com, booksamillion.com, and betterworldbooks.com, typed in Shelby Patrick, and both my books (When Angels Sing and The Fear Within) came up as available to purchase. How cool is that?

when-angels-sing

2010-12-14T19:31:00.001-05:00

Book Launch Successes and Failures

2010-12-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/12/guest-post-my-book-launch/

Hmm, kind of sounds similar to what I had to go through -- expecting help but soon realizing I had to do most of it myself, running around like crazy the week of the book launch, and having to pay all the bills. I'm glad it worked out for him; unfortunately, I only had six people show up and I sold six books. Not much and definitely not much profit to cover my expenses, plus I had intended to donate a portion of sales to the Michigan Animal Rescue League. I wish I had had a larger turnout, but oh well...

Terry Cordingley: What It Means to Be a Professional Author

2010-12-14T02:30:00.000-05:00

Terry Cordingley: What It Means to Be a Professional Author

It's Cold Outside!

2010-12-13T11:41:00.000-05:00

Teachers, kids, and schools sure have it easy these days. When I was a kid (wow I'm old re-telling stories like my dad always did), we rarely ever got off from school. The only time our school was closed was if the power had gone out or we got snowed in. But that's it. Our schools never closed for cold weather. Everbody else has to deal with the cold -- people go to work, go shopping, go out to eat, etc. The reasoning behind school closings around here when the wind chill hits zero or below is that they don't want kids standing outside freezing to death while waiting for the bus. Okay, I can understand that, I suppose. Have they ever heard of winter clothes?

Why is it when it's cold out, kids can't wait for the bus, but they can play outside? How come the mail carrier has to endure the cold to deliver mail door-to-door? Why does the newspaper carrier have to go to work just so you can get the all-important local news? But kids and teachers can't go to school because it's cold outside? We live in a cold weather state, so deal with it.

I remember last year, during the winter months, tons of schools in the area were closed a lot. I don't know how the kids finished learning when their schools were off so much. But apparently that's okay. An education isn't as important as getting the day off -- because it's cold outside.

I hate the cold and I can't stand winter. I don't like driving in the ice and snow and I can't stand going out into the cold and shivering. If I could hibernate the entire winter, I would, but that's just silly. We can't do that. We just have to learn to live with the cold, as much as we might hate it.

I wish I could stay home from work when it's cold outside, but I can't do that either. I have a job and responsibilities. Just think about those poor emergency workers or auto insurance companies who have to deal with the many accidents that occur in the wintry cold months. They don't get off because it's cold.

Are adults expendable that they have to risk their lives and endure the cold while the youth of today get to snuggle up inside a cozy, warm house? Hmmm....

Do You Know Who You Are REALLY Chatting With On The Internet? Shelby Patrick’s New Novel, “When Angels Sing,” Will Make You Wonder Who Is On The Other End….. - book, suspense, thriller

2010-12-11T01:17:00.000-05:00

Do You Know Who You Are REALLY Chatting With On The Internet? Shelby Patrick’s New Novel, “When Angels Sing,” Will Make You Wonder Who Is On The Other End….. - book, suspense, thriller

So You Want to Write a Novel

2010-12-11T01:14:00.000-05:00

Holiday gift guide: Stories that capture spirit of the season

2010-12-02T02:42:00.000-05:00

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2010-12-02-xmasbooks02_ST_N.htm?csp=34life&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomBooks-TopStories+%28Life+-+Books+-+Top+Stories%29

The Invisibility Bug

2010-11-29T14:36:00.001-05:00

Can you see me? Does my voice carry? Am I really here?

The world is my playground. I get dizzy from swinging so high some times and my emotions play out like a teeter totter. The monkey bars are calling, waiting for me to get tangled up in my next life problem. Sometimes I go downhill down the slide but I get right back up and climb those stairs to rise above it all. And sometimes I just need to sit things out and watch the world fly by from my parkside bench. It's a never ending cycle.

But I begin to wonder, at times, whether or not I really exist. It seems more often than not that I'm just invisible to the naked eye. I'm the person that sits in the corner, hiding in the shadows, and no one even knows my name. I'm not really here at all. Maybe I'm just a figment of one's imagination. Could it truly be?

I have friends on Facebook, most of them authors, editors, or publishers. I requested to be friends with a few, but most requested it of me. But yet, out of those tons of friends, only one or two ever notice when I post anything. However, when anyone else posts, they receive tons of comments or promises of a sale. None of my buddies even know, or acknowledge, that I published a book myself. I'm here, friends. I'm alive. I'm not invisible. Can't you see me?

My book launch planning isn't going so well. I put out a notice to over 800 people but only a couple ever took note and responded. My customers, my friends, my neighbors -- you're all invited to a night of mystery as I celebrate the launch of my supernatural thriller, When Angels Sing. I'm here, you know. I'm a person with big dreams and bigger hopes for a brighter future. Unfortunately, those hopes are most always dashed. Can you see me dancing up and down, waving my arms? It's me.

Even when I visit the car dealership quite often, no one remembers me. Everyone remembers my niece, though. She has that memorable face. As for me, I have no face. No one recalls even meeting me, at first. I'm the shadow that swoops into your life and then disappears just as quickly. I'm a real girl, believe it or not. I can't be invisible, and maybe I'm not.

People do stand up and take notice of me, but only when I don't do something or do something that trips the "ticked off and mad alarm". I'm the person people see only when I do something wrong. I'm the scapegoat. Do you want someone to blame for your mistakes? Give me a call. Are you afraid to face someone because of something you did? Just tell them I did it. It was me. You see, I'm not so invisible now, am I?

A Recipe For Disaster

2010-11-28T09:02:00.004-05:00

Ingredients Needed:

1 Part Family
1 Part Writing
1 Part Facebook
1 Part YouTube

Directions to stir the pot and cause friction:

Write a cool movie script
Ask your family to help you film it
Get your nieces and nephews to star in it
Spend a good deal of time filming and editing the movie
Finish the product and share it with others (YouTube, Facebook, etc.)
Years later, publish a book
Ask family to help promote the book
Bring on the curse that causes a falling out with certain family members
Apologize in a public venue (Facebook)
Believe everything to be okay, but in reality, it's worse than ever
Get labeled a cad, a liar, and a selfish S.O.B. when sharing the truth via blog
Be accused of starting it all and endure glared daggers
Try to get along at the next holiday gathering
Just when you thought things were okay again, another wave of Hell opens up
Family orders you to remove YouTube videos because they never gave you permission and the actors are under age (are you acccused of exploiting your nieces and nephews now?)
Tons of photos of said under age actors are posted all over Facebook under several different profiles, but apparently that's okay. You, however, shouldn't be associated with them in any way, shape, or form
Watch your life and writing career be shredded to pieces

Makes: Tons of depression, anxiety, and shame

Hyperbole and a Half: Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving

2010-11-24T15:51:00.000-05:00

Hyperbole and a Half: Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving

Talking To Martha Swirzinski

2010-11-23T01:08:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone! Please welcome Martha Swirzinski, children's author, speaker, and teacher.

Martha lives in Virginia, loves to work with young children because they hug and compliment you and "always say the damnedest things", and published her first book in 2008. She also enjoys mystery, nonfiction based on childhood development, and historical fiction. For more information on her books, please visit her sites at http://www.wholechildpublishing.com/ and http://www.movementplus.com/ .

Her Movement and More Series of books offers more than just rhymes and pictures. They also engage the children with moving, interacting, thinking, and socializing. Currently, there are three books in this series: Leap...Laugh...Plop, Guess...Giggle...Wiggle, and Kick...Catch...Buzzz.

Martha has written a very enlightening article that I would like to share here:

Brrrr….it’s cold outside!

But that’s no excuse for your children to be sedentary or inactive. I know it’s hard in the winter to keep your children active: it’s cold, it gets dark earlier and, of course, there’s homework for older children and a long list of things that simply must get accomplished. However, we need to remember that our heart is a muscle and needs daily exercise to stay healthy and strong. Children as young as 3 or 4 years old may show early signs of changes to their arteries that could cause eventual heart attacks. Surprisingly, signs of heart disease can appear as early as ten years old, making regular exercise and health nutrition critical.

So what can a parent do?

Limit Television and computer time.

If you do let them have screen time, mix it up with some kind of movement. For instance, if they are watching a show, have them run in place during the commercials. For every ten minutes on the computer, they owe you five minutes of dancing to music or running around the yard.

Park farther from store entrances and walk, run, hop, or skip into the store.

Take the stairs and count the number of stairs. Turn exercise into a learning experience.

Read a book and have them act it out.

Play games that encourage movement, like charades or follow the leader.

Hide items around the house and have your children go find them. For each item, have them move a different way to go find it. For example, you need to hop like a bunny to find the plastic egg or walk on your tiptoes to find your stuffed animal. This is also a great way to encourage them to pick up their rooms.

Get creative, have fun, and most of all, make sure you participate with them. A good role model is very important and will make a lasting impression. I know it can be hard, but in the long run it will create a lifetime of health and happiness for you and your child.

Martha Swirzinski, M.A.

Thank you, Martha, for sharing this wonderful information with us. Please visit Mayra Calvani's blog at http://thedarkphantom.wordpress.com/ tomorrow, for an interview with Heather Paye.

There Are No Rules - Ultimate Blog Series on Novel Queries (#1)

2010-11-16T16:39:00.000-05:00

There Are No Rules - Ultimate Blog Series on Novel Queries (#1)

Welcome!

2010-11-15T19:52:00.000-05:00

Hi and welcome to my new blog. Sorry about switching here but unfortunately, I had to due to certain people using my blog and personal journey notes to make trouble for me. My old blog at http://writershideaway.blogspot.com/ has been changed to restrict readership. From now on, all new posts will be listed here.

Happy reading!

Shelby

FBI News

2010-11-15T11:55:00.000-05:00

Real Serial Killer?

2010-11-15T11:32:00.000-05:00

A Serial Killer on the Loose in L.A.

Christine Pelisek Christine Pelisek
Fri Nov 12, 2:29 am ET

.NEW YORK – The murders were committed years and miles apart. But in exclusive interviews with The Daily Beast's Christine Pelisek, investigators reveal that the crime wave may be the work of the same killer.

The first body was found in a patch of weeds in L.A.'s industrial wastelands. The victim, a woman, was naked; her feet and wrists had been bound.

The second body was discovered in a vacant field near a school sixty miles east of the city. The woman, also naked, lay facedown, in a semi-fetal position.

The third body was found, partially clothed, in a dirt gulley of a desolate area miles away in the county of Riverside. She, like the others, had been strangled.

The murders were 20 years apart yet police believe they were committed by the same person—a serial killer still on the loose.

"This could be the only three, or there are more out there and they are undiscovered and the police haven't done a good job with it," says Sgt Scott Brown of the Riverside County Sheriff's department. "I have to stay open to all of the possibilities."

Investigators have kept quiet about the cases but confirm in exclusive interviews with The Daily Beast that the killings of the women are linked, and that detectives are reviewing other cold cases for DNA evidence to see if the unknown killer may have killed others.

"We got one DNA sample off of Fields, and one on Pomona, and a partial sample in Los Angeles," says Brown.

According to authorities, all three women had histories of prostitution. The victims otherwise seemed to have little in common.

Sonia Smith, the first victim who was found in 1980, was a 25-year-old, black woman from South Los Angeles. The second victim, Vanessa Williams, found in 2000, was also black but, at 45, significantly older. She lived in Pomona, a city 60 miles east of L.A. Christy Fields, also found in 2000, was 27-year-old, and white. Like Williams, she lived in Pomona but her body was discovered in Riverside County.

"Someone may definitely still be out there."

"It looks like [Fields] was killed somewhere else and left on the side of the road," says Brown, who is in charge of his department's cold case unit, which is currently investigating 82 unsolved cold case murder cases in the county. "There wasn't a lot of evidence at the scene. There were no signs of a struggle. It had all the earmarks of a body dump."

By digging through old records and looking at forensic evidence and DNA, investigators discovered that the three victims were linked to the same murderer. What they haven't found yet, though, is a suspect to match that DNA. Or a motive.

"Some of these serial killers will kill because they are disgusted by the women and others because it is an opportunity," says Brown.

One puzzling question to investigators is the large gap in time between the murders. Smith was killed in 1980, the two others in 2000.

"Why the 20 year gap?" asks Cliff Shepard, a veteran homicide LAPD detective who has worked on numerous serial killer cases, including Rodney Alcala, Michael Hughes and Chester Turner. "We are back to the questions: Are we missing other murder victims? Was he locked up? Did he take a break for a while? We don't know."

"Who knows why he has laid low?" adds LAPD's Lou Rivera, who is handling the Smith investigation. "We won't know until we catch up with the dude and say 'where have you been?'…He could have been locked up, or found Jesus."

The original investigation into the Smith killing was kept alive by investigators such as Shepard, who during the 1980s worked the patrol beat but, many years and murders later, still remembered her, and other forgotten victims.

"This was the beginning of rock cocaine," says Shepard of 1980s L.A., a time when murders in the city topped more than 1,000 every year. "The crack epidemic raging, gangs were shooting people in the streets, and the unemployment rate was skyrocketing…Some of the victims became entangled in drugs and may have been exchanging sex for the drugs and going into areas where there was a lot of criminal activity. The murder rate was going up. People were afraid to go out at night. It was really insane."

Initially, homicide investigators believed that Smith had been killed by the Southside Slayer, a mythical serial killer who police thought responsible for the murders of at least 50 women in South L.A. during the 1980s. But through improved forensic technology—and dogged detective work—detectives discovered that wasn't the case. Instead, many of the killings attributed to the Southside Slayer were actually the grim work of several killers stalking the same area during the same period.

And, eventually, detectives began cracking the cases.

One of their biggest arrests was that of 31-year-old Louis Craine, an unemployed construction worker from Watts with an IQ of 69. Craine was convicted of the strangulation murders of four prostitutes between 1984 and 1987, including two attributed to the Southside Slayer cases. Craine was picked up by police in the late 80's.

Over the years, with advances in DNA technology and deeper databases of suspects and cases, investigators solved a number of other high profile cases.

In 2003, cold case investigators caught up with Chester Turner, who is considered to be one of the city's most prolific serial killers. Turner, a former pizza deliveryman and crack dealer, strangled 10 women with his bare hands in South Los Angeles and Downtown Los Angeles between 1987 and 1998. He received the death penalty in 2007. He is currently sitting on San Quentin's death row.

In 2008, Michael Hughes, who was already in prison for the sexual assault and strangling deaths of four women between 1992 and 1993, was linked through DNA evidence to four other slayings in Los Angeles going as far back as 1986.

And this summer, Grim Sleeper suspect Lonnie Franklin was charged with the murders of 10 women and the attempted murder of another after a reign of terror that began in 1985. Most of his victims were shot or strangled. The 57-year-old mechanic with a history of car theft was nabbed through "familial" DNA testing after his son was arrested in the summer of 2009 and had to give up a DNA swab. His last known victim was 25-year-old Janecia Peters. Her body was found in a Dumpster by a homeless man looking for cans on January 1, 2007.

Like the current killer, the Grim Sleeper appeared to stop killing for an extended period of time—his last known victim was a woman killed in 1988—until he resumed his murderous business again in 2001.

Laverne Peters, whose daughter was allegedly killed by the Grim Sleeper says she is not surprised to hear that another serial killer may be at large. Neither is Margaret Prescod, a local radio host, who, as part of a civic coalition, kept vigil outside the downtown police headquarters during the 1980s to demand that more be done by the police.

"If there are three [victims in this case], there very well may be more," she says. "Someone may definitely still be out there."

Christine Pelisek is staff reporter for The Daily Beast, covering crime. She previously was a reporter at the LA Weekly, where she covered crime for the last five years. In 2008, she won three Los Angeles Press Club awards, one for her investigative story on the Grim Sleeper.

WhenAngelsSing_Commercial.avi

2010-11-13T22:36:00.000-05:00

Interesting Rejection Letter

2010-10-31T12:23:00.000-04:00

http://www.ursulakleguin.com/Reject.html

6 Tips For Getting Your Book Onto Bookstore Shelves

2010-10-26T00:12:00.000-04:00

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/10/6-tips-for-getting-your-book-onto-bookstore-shelves/

Interview with Heidi M. Thomas

2010-10-24T14:40:00.000-04:00

Nettie Moser’s dreams are coming true. She’s married to her cowboy, Jake, they have plans for a busy rodeo season, and she has a once in a lifetime opportunity to rodeo in London with the Tex Austin Wild West Troupe.

But life during the Great Depression brings unrelenting hardships and unexpected family responsibilities. Nettie must overcome challenges to her lifelong rodeo dreams, cope with personal tragedy, survive drought, and help Jake keep their horse herd from disaster.

Will these challenges break this strong woman?

This sequel to Cowgirl Dreams is based on the life of the author’s grandmother, a real Montana cowgirl.

--------------------

1. How long have you been writing?

Ever since I could form letters, words and sentences! I loved writing stories in elementary and high school, then I received my degree in journalism in college and pursued that field for many years, before returning to my first love—fiction.

2. Who/what motivates you to write?

I started out wanting to tell stories from my family history. I’ve learned so much, and continue to learn as I write. Now I want to tell stories that not onlyl preserve a historical, western way of life, but also engage and entertain the reader.

3. Follow the Dream is the second in your “Dare to Dream” series. What can you tell us about this book and the overall series?

The series is based on strong, independent Montana women who dare to strive for a dream not readily available to them in the era, social or family norms. Follow the Dream is the continuation of Nettie’s pursuit of her rodeo dream.

4. What/who is the inspiration for this book?

My grandmother was the basis for both Cowgirl Dreams and Follow the Dream. She was an avid rancher and horsewoman and rode bucking stock in Montana rodeos during the 1920s and ‘30s.

5. When did Follow the Dream come out? Who published it?

It was released Oct. 1 by Treble Heart Books. http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/

6. What was the thinking behind the design of the book’s cover? How do these horses capture the essence of the book?

During the 1930s drought my grandparents were forced to trail their herd of horses 400 miles from northern Montana to Salmon, Idaho to find grass. This scene depicts the adventurous trail ride over a steep mountain pass.
7. What audience are you targeting with this book/series?

My books are written for adults, but are also suitable for young adult readers.

8. Who is your favorite character, and why?

Well, Nettie, of course! So far, I’ve written only from her point of view. I do like all of my characters—I’ve come to know them probably better than I actually knew my grandparents.

9. Tell us one thing about yourself that people would be surprised to learn.

I once sang with a Sweet Adeline group at Carnegie Hall.

10. Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you now?

Everything I read influences me to one degree or another. My current favorites are Ivan Doig, a fellow Montana author, and Jane Kirkpatrick, who writes historical fiction.

11. What message would you like to leave to the reader?

It’s never too late to pursue your dream, and don’t be afraid to change the dream if necessary.

12. Where can people go to learn more about your work, or to perhaps sample, checkout, or purchase your book(s)?

Autographed copies can be ordered on website http://www.heidimthomas.com/ Books also can be ordered from my publisher http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/SDHeidiThomas.html and Follow the Dream is available on Kindle at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Follow+the+Dream+Heidi+M.+Thomas&x=0&y=0

-----------------

Thank you, Heidi, for a wonderful interview. Good luck with your book(s).

Please visit http://thedarkphantom.wordpress.com/ on October 26th to read my interview with Mayra Calvani.

Book Launch Party

2010-10-23T11:49:00.000-04:00

Update: I've reserved a room for the party, but space is limited (30 - 40 people). It's by invitation only and prospective guests must RSVP before they will receive an actual invite.

Zombie Apocalypse

2010-10-23T11:48:00.000-04:00

5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen:
http://www.cracked.com/article_15643_5-scientific-reasons-zombie-apocalypse-could-actually-happen.html

Could you Survive a Zombie Apocalypse (Quiz)?:
http://www.oneplusyou.com/bb/zombie

How To Survive a Zombie Apocalypse:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/04/how-to-battle-z/

Hosting Tours

2010-10-23T11:41:00.000-04:00

On Monday, October 25th, I will be hosting a great writer on this blog. Since I'm kind of forgetful (have a lot of things on my mind these days), chances are I'll be posting her interview a day early...unless I forget :-) Come back to check her out tomorrow or Monday.

This will be my first hosted interview so I hope I do her justice.

Halloween is Near!

2010-10-23T11:37:00.000-04:00

In 8 days, it will be Halloween. I haven't even gotten my pumpkin yet! No costumes this year either. Wow, I'm really slacking off for the holiday. What do you do to celebrate Halloween?

Can you believe another year is almost gone already?

Upcoming Book Launch Party

2010-10-09T13:15:00.000-04:00

My first novel will be coming out soon. It's a supernatural thriller called When Angels Sing. Check out this blurb:

Blaze was the perfect man: sweet, charming, and 100% gentleman. There was only one catch. Jenna Michaels had never met him face to face. He was her Internet chat buddy. So when he invites her out to visit him, she jumps at the chance.

But he’s not anything like she expected, and even worse, he has no recollection of ever talking to her. She soon realizes she should have turned tail and ran home because her two weeks in Montana are about to be turned into a cat and mouse game as she is stalked through the streets of Stevensville by a psychotic killer.

I will be having a book launch murder/msytery party on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. at a local restaurant. I'll keep you posted.

Do You Remember 1985?

2010-10-07T21:57:00.000-04:00

Do You Remember 1985?

Published Bestsellers: Sample Book Marketing Plan Outline

2010-09-16T18:55:00.000-04:00

Published Bestsellers: Sample Book Marketing Plan Outline

Quote of the Day

2010-09-14T16:15:00.000-04:00

A book stops selling when the author stops selling.

Question of the Day

2010-09-09T10:10:00.000-04:00

If you had one chance to go back in time and change something in your own life, what would it be and why? Do you think this would have a ripple effect and your life would be completely different today?

Interview with Blaze Kerrigan, the Hero of When Angels Sing

2010-09-06T19:30:00.000-04:00

We're here today with Blaze Kerrigan, our dashing knight who lives out west in the supernatural thriller novel, When Angels Sings. Enjoy!

Tell us more about Blaze Kerrigan.

Well, first off, Blaze isn’t my birth name. I was born Dane Andrew Kerrigan. Blaze was a nickname I picked up in college because I was hot with the ladies, if you know what I mean. I have a younger brother named Dylan. I’m a huge karate practitioner and have written books/articles on it. In my spare time, I also like to write poetry. I spent a great deal of my youth bartending just to make ends meet. Then I met my fiancée. Things changed after that and I…”
I’m sorry to hear about your fiancée – Melanie, right?

Yeah, it’s been a few years but it’s still hard to talk about. She was murdered in our apartment. My brother and I were suspects for awhile but all charges were dropped. I fell apart; my brother was institutionalized; and my best friend, Greg, was left to take care of us.
That must have been a very horrible time in your life. How are you dealing with it now?

Greg took a job in Montana. He’s the sheriff over in Stevensville. He asked us to come out there, so my brother and I are living there now. I don’t do so much writing, although I have this fascination with serial killers.
Why serial killers?

Melanie was the first victim of a sadistic serial killer. Ever since then, I’ve had these visions and it’s like I’m attuned to the guy who murdered her. It’s hard to explain. I think he’s following me to Montana because the visions are getting stronger. I get these fierce headaches and then I see him, stalking his prey. It’s driving me insane and sometimes I wonder if I’m the real killer.
Why not go to the police?

I tried that. They thought I was just crazy. There was nothing physical to tie any of the murders together, but I know better. Greg believes me.
That’s a very dangerous attitude. What if the killer comes after you?

He won’t. He likes torturing me. But there’s someone else I care about a great deal who is in trouble. Her name is Jenna Michaels. I think the killer lured her here and intends on making her his next sacrifice. I couldn’t save my precious Melanie, but I’ll be damned if anything happens to Jenna.
Do you have any other family that might be in danger?

No, it’s just my brother and me. Our parents died a long time ago. I was left to raise him and I’m afraid I haven’t been doing too good of a job. Dylan isn’t a well man. He sometimes has these blackouts. Things get crazy then. And he speaks of angels as if he really communes with them. It terrifies me.
Wow! You said he was institutionalized before. Has he gotten better since moving to Montana?

Yes and no. The doc cleared him for the move, but Jenna has brought back some old feelings in both of us. She so reminds me of Melanie, it’s uncanny. I think that’s why the killer wants her.
How do you plan to stop him?

I don’t know. Maybe with this interview and if enough people know about him, it will be enough. He’ll stop torturing me.
Tell us about Jenna Michaels.

She blew in here under false pretenses. I was ready to run her out of town, but she kind of grows on you. Now, I get my kicks out of verbally sparring with her, but deep down inside, I’m becoming quite fond of her. Shhh, don’t let her know that. Women can sometimes be fickle when it comes to matters of the heart. I don’t need any clinging females to smother me, although it would be nice to wake up to a smiling face every morning and to have someone waiting for me when I get home from work.
What kind of work do you do?

Lately, just trying to stay sane. I help Greg, the sheriff, out a lot and I still attempt to do some writing. I also teach karate to the young boys in town. Dylan and I opened up a small gym and turned it into our dojo. It keeps the young ‘uns off the streets and out of trouble.
You must like kids. Do you have any of your own or do you have plans to have any?

I adore kids, but I don’t know if I could be the fatherly type. I spend a lot of time just taking care of Dylan and he’s a real handful. But, if the right woman came along…
Such as Jenna Michaels?

Hmm, you never know.
Do you have any final words to say to our readers?

Yeah, I protect my family and friends, so don’t even think of bothering us. To quote a semi-famous line from my favorite super hero, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m mad.” Go green!

Book Review: Secret Thirst by Evangeline Anderson

2010-09-03T23:01:00.000-04:00

Secret Thirst
by Evangeline Anderson
Published at Elora's Cave
Review by Shelby Patrick

Modern day vampires have been romanticized in film and books. Instead of the blood-sucking fiends known throughout mythology, the media portrays them as lost souls looking for a little love. They are described as hot, sexy creatures with a longing for someone to fill their passionate needs. Evangeline Anderson, in the vein of today's True Blood, takes them to a whole new level in her book, Secret Thirst.

Dr. Lauren Wright is an average girl and slightly overweight. We aren't bombarded by a sexy lady with a size 4 body, which television seems to dictate as being the normal for anything remotely sensual or attractive. Lauren just happens to be a size 14 and the main female lead in a romantic liaison with a mysterious vampire.

Dr. Wright is a research scientist and when she completes her formula for NuBlood, an artificial blood substitute that is identical to donor blood, she attracts the attention of a vampire organization that has dreams of "coming out" to the world. They can only reveal their true selves if they can prove they aren't the blood-sucking demons people think they are. NuBlood will help them become registered citizens.

Unfortunately, things never go as planned. Nicolas Kris, a member of this secret vampire society, attempts to steal Lauren's work, but he gets more than he bargained for when he realizes he has stolen her most private and intimate fantasies. He promises to deliver on those fantasies if she will give him the formula.

This society that Kris belongs to is only a small portion of the vampire society. The rest think it's a futile attempt to once again be human, so they conspire against Kris by attacking Lauren. Kris has no choice but to spirit her away to one of their medical facilities, which happens to be in one of the most notorious bondage/Domination clubs in Houston.

The club is run by a vampire named Simon, who will do anything if the price is right. In order for Kris and Lauren to survive inside the club, they must perform Lauren's most erotic fantasies with Kris being her Master.

It's hard to pass through any chapter without an erotic scene displaying itself. Evangeline writes them well, but there's a fine distinction between erotica and pornography. Erotic should be defined as more of a softer, sensual side. It's not laced with technical terms for body parts or vulgar language, which Evangeline seems to get off on using quite a bit. Some readers may enjoy this but be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. It could contain some offensive material.

This was the first full-length erotic novel I have ever read and it was hard to put it down, not only for the erotic imagery but for the storyline as well. The book has a lot going for it, such as action, adventure, and a lot of danger. What's more exciting than entering the dark world of the vampire, where every bite could either mean pleasure or death?

September 2010 Assignment

2010-09-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

It's September now, just a few more days until Labor Day. I haven't posted any assignments for awhile so thought I would start up again. Good luck!

---- SEPTEMBER EXERCISE ----

You wake up one day and find that you aren't in your own bed or even in your own house. You don't recognize the place and can't remember how you got there. When you leave the building, you find youself in an unfamiliar place. Perhaps you went through a time warp and ended up in a different time or you were abducted and taken far away from your native land. Tell us your story.

A Little Bit More About Shelby Patrick -- FREE Book Drawing!

2010-08-31T19:10:00.000-04:00

Welcome friends and fans of horror! I’m Shelby Patrick, author of several self-published books. This is my sixth interview/FAQ session. I hope you enjoy it and I really hope you will take a chance and buy one of my books, which can be purchased online at amazon.com or via my website at http://www.shelbypatrick.com/ .

Anyone visiting one of the sites on my virtual tour this week will be entered into a random drawing for a FREE signed copy of The Fear Within. I will pick one winner from each site. Visitors have a chance to enter once at each blog. Winners will be chosen on Friday. If you are lucky enough to win a copy, please be nice enough to put up a review of the book either at your own site/blog or on the book’s amazon.com page. Thank you!

Now on to my FAQ’s:

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I wanted to own a ranch and breed horses. I would still love to do this, but in high school, my tastes changed to wanting to be a writer. My dream was to get a place out in the country, near a small lake, the nearest neighbor miles away, where I could spend my days writing.
What’s the latest news in the Shelby Patrick world?

Well, I delved into the self-publishing world, after getting three moronic offers from traditional publishers. I started off with self-publishing two creative writing books, Dark Recesses of the Mind and Forbidden Knowledge. Then I decided to try my hand at self-publishing fiction so I put out my short story collection, The Fear Within, which is a collection of 25 dark tales of horror and science fiction. My next published piece will be a supernatural thriller called When Angels Sing. I’d like to have at least one book picked up by a traditional publisher, but if I can’t, then I’ll self-publish this one too. I already did a photo shoot for the cover, which was loads of fun.
Where do you hope to take your writing in the future?

I want to make a living as a writer, preferably a fiction author. It’s my goal to walk into a Barnes & Noble some day and see my book on the shelves; to do book signings; to attend conventions where I can hawk my books; to be able to look people in the eye when they ask what I do and say I’m an author.
How do you deal with rejection letters?

I don’t think of them as rejections, but bumps in the road. They slow me down a little but I’m quickly over them and I can move on to smoother waters.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, how do you overcome it?

Yes, every writer has a block at least once in their writing career. It’s a pain too. I’ve had months where I just couldn’t think of a single thing to write and then I get someone asking me when my next piece will be done or wanting to know what’s next and I realize I can’t disappoint my readers. That’s why we write – to be read. It excites me again and I can sit down and pen the next scene. My readers are my inspiration.
Do you have suggestions to help others become better writers?

Read and study the craft of writing. Buy any books you can on the writing arts and know how to pen a good sentence/paragraph. A good grasp of grammar and sentence structure is a must. If you can’t do that, then finding a really good editor to clean up your prose should be on your to-do list.
You write mostly horror/thrillers now. What draws you to that genre?

I love being scared, as long as the scenes and characters can’t hurt me. I love sitting on the edge of my seat and being thrown into a world of action and suspense. It keeps the heart racing and the palms feeling sweaty. It makes me feel alive.
Where do you, as the author, draw a line on gory descriptions and/or erotic content?

I absolutely hate a lot of blood and guts, but I know horror can’t be horror without some brief flash of the stuff we hate. Unless I’m writing a story where torture is part of the game, I try to keep my “bloody” scenes to a minimum. The only real reason to go into a lot of gory description is for shock value. Most of the time it’s unnecessary and I feel that real horror is more horrifying when less is shown.

As for erotic content, my novels delve into a few brief scenes that could be construed as semi-erotic. However, I try to keep them brief and avoid using technical terms for body parts. Now, I’m in the middle of writing a full-blown erotic horror novel and it’s been a challenge for me. The story has to center around sex so there will be long scenes, sometimes whole chapters, devoted to erotic images. And yet, I still try to avoid the hard-core terms, which makes my job a bit more difficult. I just hope the readers enjoy it and it turns them on. My newest erotic novel is definitely the most fun to write. I want it to be the WOW book of all my writings so far. I want people to pick it up and say, “Oh my God!” and not be able to put it down until they are done and left breathless, hyped up to read the next. Hmm, that gives me an idea. Perhaps I’ll add a short excerpt from it to my website.
People think horror writers have to be messed up to write what they do. What do you think?

I think people shouldn’t stereotype. I can’t explain all horror writers, but for me, I’m just an average girl with a big dream. I’m a devout Christian, born and raised Catholic, and never swear, drink, or smoke. I write under a pen name because my writing is the total opposite of me. I think it’s due to my good girl upbringing that has brought me the fascination with evil and the dark side. It comes out in my writing, or it could be that most of my life has been boring and depressing. I’m a loner and have a self-esteem problem. I lack a lot of confidence, but that’s due to my family treating me like a loser for thirty years. I’m just a red-blooded all-american girl, as long as no one crosses me.
Can you leave us with a sample of your writing?

Sure. Here’s a brief sample from When Angels Sing, my upcoming supernatural thriller:

His head started to ache and he felt a bit nauseous. He reached up to rub the spot between his eyes.

“You okay, hon?” asked Marissa.

She had a worried frown on her face. He tried to nod but the pain intensified. “I’ll be fine,” he said in a low voice. “Just got a little headache.” He hadn’t had such a bad one since they came to Stevensville. The fresh Montana air had done him some good. He didn’t like getting these migraines – when he did, he usually ended up passed out somewhere. That would be embarrassing to faint in front of Marissa.

“Let me get you some aspirin,” she said, leaving him alone for a minute.

Aspirin wouldn’t work, he knew that. His doc back home had given him some pills for his headaches, but he hadn’t needed them for some time now. The pills were in a cabinet out at Blaze’s house. He started to think he should have stayed there this morning.

He should call Blaze, but he didn’t really want to. His big brother would get all concerned again and treat him like he was sick. He would probably confine him to the house for a few days, just to make sure he was okay. Dylan didn’t like people to worry over him, especially his brother. Last time that happened, Dylan had found himself in the hospital. They wouldn’t let him leave for months because they claimed he was a danger to himself and others. He didn’t know what they meant by that, but they wanted to observe him. He had thought it was just because his brother didn’t want to take care of him anymore. His doctor had seemed more caring than his own brother had.

His vision blurred. He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned against the counter. Someone else was in the room with him. He opened his eyes, expecting to see Marissa, but she wasn’t there. He slowly moved his head around and thought he saw someone, a girl, standing behind him. He blinked and when he looked again, she was gone.

“Who’s there?” he whispered.

Laughter came to his side and he spun around, a little too quickly. His head felt like it might explode now. There was no one by his side.

“Enough games. Show yourself.”

He picked up a knife off the counter.

“Lordie, what are you doing with that?”

He jumped when he heard her come up behind him. The pain was excruciating now and her voice made it worse. His grip on the knife tightened when he started to turn around.

The_Fear_Within_Commercial.mpg

2010-08-30T18:05:00.000-04:00

The Daily Puppy

2010-08-24T08:58:00.000-04:00

My First Interview - Local Newspaper

2010-08-19T04:30:00.000-04:00

Madison-Park News (MI)

Aspiring author takes a stab at horror
Local hopes short story collection will lead to writing career

ANDY KOZLOWSKI C & G Staff Writer
Published: August 18, 2010

MADISON HEIGHTS - Mermaids and mutants. Vengeful spirits and the walking dead. A possessed car that eats souls. A murderous reflection in the mirror. All these and more populate the pages of "The Fear Within," a collection of 25 short stories - mostly horror, with sci-fi thrown in for good measure - written by a lifelong Madison Heights resident and Lamphere High '87 grad by the penname of Shelby Patrick.

Still, she's not so buddy-buddy with the creatures that go bump in the night.

"People swear my house is haunted," Patrick said. "I'm not sure if I believe them, but I did see something once that I'll never forget. I was home alone that night and someone was in my hallway. It was a woman - she ran down the hall and disappeared.

I'll never forget that moment.

I'm 40 years old now and won't survive sitting in my house at night alone without every single light on." Patrick, who is self-employed part-time delivering newspapers in Royal Oak, Troy and Clawson, has had aspirations of becoming a fulltime author since high school.

" (My family) never really thought I'd amount to much, so I started writing to prove I could do something productive with my life," she said.

Since then, she's penned many a short story, novel and article, even an e-book on Web design. Several short stories were successfully published, and subsequently revised and added to "The Fear Within." An article on karate also saw print.

Of special note, though, are two self-published creative writing exercise books, "Dark Recesses of the Mind," which doles out assignments on a monthly basis, and "Forbidden Knowledge," which mines the Ten Commandments and Seven Deadly Sins for inspiration.
"I had heard about lulu.com and decided to try my hand at selfpublishing," Patrick said. "It was very easy to do and free of charge.

You basically upload files to their server and they publish the book for you. The only bad thing was the price for proofs and the retail price of the book would be a bit high." Her good experience with the two creative writing books encouraged her to keep at it.

"My editor recommended Createspace for my short story collection," Patrick said. "It was a little cheaper, but just as easy to do." For her next novel, "When Angels Sing" - a thriller previewed in "The Fear Within" - Patrick plans to self-publish if a publisher cannot be found.

But the first step is writing, and before one can write, one must read.

Patrick counts among her influences such masters of horror as Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Stephen King and Dean Koontz, but these days it's all about thriller/ suspense authors such as Kay Hooper, Heather Graham and Tami Hoag.

"Every story should have good characterization, a strong plot and well-written descriptions, but what sets the horror/ thriller story apart from the rest is the element of suspense," Patrick said. "It needs to keep the reader guessing and on the edge of their seats. It should open with a strong beginning and close with a believable ending. Don't disappoint the readers, or they might not come back.

"I prefer to write psychological horror, the kind that can get under your skin and hold you hostage until it's ready to let you go," she added.

"My stories rely on the fear that we all hold inside and must face sooner or later, whether it's the dark, losing a loved one, or the spider crawling up your arm. Sometimes it can even be a race for survival that gives us strength to see it through." Patrick's approach to writing can be as unpredictable as her characters'adventures.

"I don't outline before I write a story. It comes to me as I write," she said. "I think of it as a movie I'm seeing for the first time. Even I don't know how my stories will end until I'm ready to write the ending." As for what those stories are, the subject matter varies widely in "The Fear Within." Phone calls from the dead; a cell phone virus that turns infected people into homicidal maniacs; an old western town teeming with the undead; a mutated dog wreaking havoc on a space station; a supercomputer gone on a killing spree. The list goes on and on.

"It is great fun to read her stories because she does a good job of making sure that the reader doesn't have time to slow down and that the pages keep turning," said Rich Buchko, the book's editor. "She obviously has this dark side to her and it comes out in her writing, and of course she has a great imagination, which she uses to bring fresh angles to her stories." Though she's a self-proclaimed "scaredy-cat," dreading everything from spiders and water to heights and hospitals, the force powering Patrick's work is an appreciation for the value of fear.

"It makes us feel alive," Patrick said. "People who say they fear nothing are lying to themselves. Everyone needs to have some kind of fear, whether it's a small one or much larger. Our fears protect us and sometimes stop us from doing crazy things. Without fear, we might as well be mindless zombies wandering the Earth." To sample Shelby Patrick's work for yourself, visit her website at http://%20www.shelbypatrick.com/.

You can reach Staff Writer Andy Kozlowski at akozlowski@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1104.

Copyright, 2010, Madison-Park News (MI), All Rights Reserved.

Feature Story

2010-08-06T04:53:00.000-04:00

So I contacted C&G Newspapers, a local community newspaper in my area. Someone at the paper had said news of my book would make for a good feature story. The reporter in my area responded and said he was interested. He emailed me 22 questions and needs the answers back by Saturday afternoon at noon. This is exciting! My first interview/story in the paper.

Thank you, C&G Newspapers.

The Fear Within

2010-08-02T10:39:00.000-04:00

As of today, I've sold 21 copies of my book, The Fear Within, which is a collection of 25 dark stories. Stories included:

Consumed -- A little girl must survive one night with her psychotic father.
Witches Bane -- While doing research, a young woman becomes possessed by the evil spirit of a centuries-old witch.
Eternity -- One person's journey into what he imagines Hell is like.
The Marina -- You never know what lies underneath the water at the marina.
'Dem Bones -- A fun-filled trip to a cottage in the woods turns deadly as something stalks the inhabitants inside.
Lady Luck -- Gamblers pray to her all the time, but what happens when She demands something in return?
Bentley -- A young man has a love affair with his Bentley, to the point of madness.
Alien on Board -- Something has gotten on board the space station and it's up to Lt. Zach Shepherd to neutralize it before it turns the station into a smorgasbord.
Hell is Now Open -- Never stop at an out of the way diner in the middle of nowhere late at night.
Under a Watchful Eye -- A prison with no bars, no walls, and no way to escape.
The E-fection -- A virus infects the cell phone network, turning ordinary people into homicial maniacs. One man and woman are among the few uninfected and must play the game of survival.
Soul Catcher -- What happens to our souls between life and death? One woman must find out when it becomes her duty to protect lost souls from eternal damnation.
Route 270 -- One night, one cop, and certain disaster up ahead.
Dead Lines -- Don't answer that phone or you might be surprised who will be on the other end.
Dark Enclosure -- Being trapped in an elevator in the dark is the least of Derrick's worries.
Tunnel Creature -- An alien crash lands on Earth, but it's not peaceful and it's not here to exchange pleasantries.
Second Time Around -- Losing a loved one is hard, but for Keith, it's impossible. He'd do anything to have his new bride back -- anything at all!
Cursed in Camelot -- King Arthur is on the verge of insanity and in peril of losing his entire kingdom.
Remembrance -- Sometimes it's not so good to remember who we are or what we did.
Killer Reflection -- Carnivals can be fun, except when people go missing.
Behind Closed Doors -- Don't open that door in the basement or your life will never be the same.
After Hours -- Working late can mean certain death.
A Summons From Beyond -- A good old-fashioned western tale with plenty of zombies and tentacled creatures running around.
Lover's Retreat -- A romantic getaway that they can never get away from.
Program Stalker -- Computers that think on their own were just fantasies in the 1990's, but in 2025, they were reality.

You also get a bonus 100-word story entitled The Ghostly Stalker and an excerpt from my upcoming thriller novel, When Angels Sing.

The Fear Within can be purchased at amazon.com, your local bookstore, or at https://www.createspace.com/3447686

Hot Vampires

2010-07-29T10:15:00.000-04:00

Eric Northman (True Blood)

VS.

Damon Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries)

4 The Love of Writing

Four Directors Who Need to Make a Horror Film, Like, NOW

Ten Ways to Know You’re Going to Die (Behind the Masque style)

12 Simple Ways to Sell More Books

Tips to Protect Yourself From Being Grabbed by a Serial Killer

The 5 Steps to Writing a Novel that Sells

Why being in a horror movie can screw up your relationship

The Honeymoon Killer Trial Begins

Valentine's Day Flash Fiction

Adult Swim: An Intro to Cthulhu

Your Brain Stays Active After You Get Decapitated

We Live, a Poem by Jason Greiner

Norway mass killer Breivik demands military award

Writing Assignment: What Would You Do?

My Scars, a Poem by Jason Greiner

Connecticut killer sentenced to die for "unimaginable horror"

Book Signing

When Angels Sing

The Fear Within

I Want to Get Paid!

Buzz Your Book -- Easy Marketing Ideas for Books

Behind the Masque

The Face-To-Face...

How to Write a Chapter of a Book – What Authors Need to Know

Interview

How Narcissistic Are You?

Your score is 5

Maximum is 40. Average for Americans is 15. Highest tested celebrity is Robin Quivers, with 34.

Your score for Authority is LOW

Your score for Self-sufficiency is LOW

Your score for Superiority is LOW

Your score for Exhibitionism is LOW

Your score for Exploitativeness is LOW

Your score for Vanity is LOW

Your score for Entitlement is MEDIUM

Writer’s Digest - Science-Fiction Author John Scalzi Explains How Not to Be Boring

Ranting

Twitter Buzz by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Zombie Attack Preparedness Info from the CDC

Follow Your Dreams with Heidi M. Thomas

The Next Great American Novel...

Facebook Fundraiser

Interview

Murder on Mother's Day

Meet Dallas Woodburn, Author and Editor

Fundraising online: NYC ThrillerFest Trip

Suspected Serial Killer Hits New York

Event of a Lifetime

This Day in History — History.com — What Happened Today in History

An interview with Heather Paye

Topic Rants

C. Hope Clark: Finding a Job as a Writer

Famous Authors, Books Received Multiple Rejections

Pen Names

Rejections, Rejections, and More Rejections!

Discounted Titles

Meet Fellow Writer Robert Medak

True Crime Stories

Guest Post

Happy V Day!

Freado Blog

To Japan from the USA

Book Review: Gryphon

Writing Assignment: Abuse of Power

Are books becoming extinct? - News

You Never Know Who You'll Meet Online...

The Killer Inside

I'm Going Naked!

The Most Wonderful Time ...

Legend of the Christmas Spider

Books Now Available at Other Bookstores

when-angels-sing

Book Launch Successes and Failures

Terry Cordingley: What It Means to Be a Professional Author

It's Cold Outside!

Do You Know Who You Are REALLY Chatting With On The Internet? Shelby Patrick’s New Novel, “When Angels Sing,” Will Make You Wonder Who Is On The Other End….. - book, suspense, thriller

So You Want to Write a Novel

Holiday gift guide: Stories that capture spirit of the season

The Invisibility Bug

A Recipe For Disaster

Your score is
5